Sports · Baseball · 1 hr ago
Nippon-Ham Fighters will not renew contracts with four players
Nippon-Ham will not renew four players' contracts for the coming season, the Japanese professional baseball club announced on Oct.
26.
The players are pitcher Kotaro Kiyomiya, infielder Gaku Sakaguchi and pitchers Yamato Kato and Ryo Matsumoto.
Kiyomiya may remain with the club as a development player, a status that is different from a place on the main roster.
He joined Nippon-Ham as a development player in 2025 after being released by the Rakuten Eagles, and signed a main-roster contract in July.
The 26-year-old, whose fastest recorded pitch is 161 kilometres per hour, made one first-team appearance this season and finished with one loss.
The club has not renewed the four players' contracts, and no further details about their plans are given.
Nippon-Ham Fighters announced on October 26 that they will not renew contracts with four players for next season.
The players are pitcher Kotaro Kiyomiya, infielder Gaku Sakaguchi, and pitchers Yamato Kato and Ryodai Matsumoto.
The team reportedly offered Kiyomiya a development-player contract.
Kiyomiya joined the Fighters as a development player in 2025 after being released by Rakuten.
- Who
- Nippon-Ham Fighters and four players: Kotaro Kiyomiya, Gaku Sakaguchi, Yamato Kato and Ryodai Matsumoto.
- What
- The team announced it will not renew their contracts for next season. Kiyomiya was reportedly offered a development-player contract.
- When
- October 26, 2026.
- Where
- The announcement was made at the team’s facility in Kamagaya, Chiba Prefecture.
- Why
- Not stated.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
Rakuten selected Kiyomiya in the first round of the development-player draft.
Kiyomiya appeared in three games for Rakuten before being released.
Kiyomiya joined Nippon-Ham as a development player.
Kiyomiya signed a standard contract with Nippon-Ham.
Kiyomiya made a first-team appearance against Lotte, his first in two years.
Nippon-Ham announced it would not renew the contracts of four players.
- Players affected
- Kotaro Kiyomiya, Gaku Sakaguchi, Yamato Kato and Ryodai Matsumoto
- Kiyomiya’s age
- 26
- Kiyomiya’s reported offer
- Development-player contract
- Kiyomiya’s 2026 record
- 1 appearance; 0 wins and 1 loss
- Sakaguchi’s age
- 23