Rakuten’s Rui Okoye on the verge of surgery on his left knee, to be ‘traded’

The global spread of the Omicron Variant of the new coronavirus is no stranger to Japan’s professional baseball world. In the MLB, the players’ association and the organization have been unable to conclude labor-management negotiations, and the lockout has completely halted player transfer procedures. In MLB, negotiations between the players’ association and the organization have not been concluded, and the lockout has completely halted the player transfer process. In MLB, the players’ association and MLB labor-management negotiations have not been concluded, and the lockout has completely halted the player transfer process.

It is precisely because of this unusual situation that the organizers of each team are looking for ways to reinforce their teams through trades that can be completed domestically.

This off-season, rumors are flying around that a major trade will be made, which is rare in recent years. In the Pacific League, Rakuten, a major league baseball team, is looking for a trade that can be completed domestically. In the Pacific League, Kazuhisa Ishii, GM and manager of Rakuten, wants to make trades to increase the mobility of personnel. In the Central League, Tatsunori Hara, manager of the Giants, who signed a new three-year contract starting next season, has the same idea.

In the Central League, Giants manager Tatsunori Hara, who signed a new three-year contract starting next season, has the same idea. Outfielder Rui Okoye (24) and pitcher Naoma Fujihira (23). Okoye, in particular, will be in his seventh year of eligibility next season.

He is one of the best players on the team in terms of physical ability, but there is a lot of skepticism about his potential within the team. I want to get better at baseball,” he said, “and I want to get results, so I’ve been doing a lot of training. However, none of them lasted long. My mood is very uneven, and my mental aspect is not developing well. Rather than staying in Rakuten, many people think it would be better for him to change his environment and get a chance to do something.

This season, his sixth year, he had surgery on his left wrist in February, which cost him the first half of the season. After joining the first team in the second half of the season, he appeared in 42 games with a batting average of .223, 0 home runs, 6 runs scored, and 3 stolen bases. He had a batting average of .223, 0 home runs, 6 runs batted in, and 3 stolen bases in 42 games. Although his batting performance was lacking, his defense and baserunning were getting some recognition. ……

On October 14, Okoye’s demotion to the second team was publicly announced. The reason was a fatal mistake he made in the previous day’s game against SoftBank at Rakuten Life Park. In the eighth inning, with a three-run lead, Okoye caught Yanagida’s left-handed pitch and threw it into an empty infield area, scoring three runs in the process.

I’m not saying Okoye was 100% at fault, but it was an unforgivable mistake for a professional. I’m not saying that Okoye was 100% at fault, but it was an unforgivable mistake for a professional, and my teammates as well as the SoftBank players were scratching their heads wondering, ‘What the hell happened? What the hell happened? If a player who played like that at the end of the season is left in the first team, he will not be able to show his face to the people around him. I’m sure you’ll be happy to know that I’m not the only one.

Okoye was nowhere to be seen at the fall training session held at Rakuten Life Park in November. He complained of poor conditioning and the team announced on November 30 that he had undergone a cartilage graft in his left knee. On November 22, he signed a new contract with an estimated salary of 10 million yen. But at the press conference, Okoye commented on the negotiations, saying, “Since Ishii was the manager from this year, I was not sure what the team’s policy was, and I was working in a vague area. When this comment was reported, the Internet was filled with critical comments.

There is no doubt that he is in a tough position, but the fact that he had the surgery means that the team gave him a chance.

The fact that he underwent surgery means that the team has given him a chance, and that there is still a chance that he can play once he heals. This will be a criterion for other teams to judge him. Depending on how his rehabilitation progresses, a trade with a team that is short on outfielders may come together quickly.

I wonder what team Okoye will be playing for this time next year.