Rakuten's Daisuke Nakajima has surgery on both knees; Ryosuke Tatsumi on right elbow
In short
Rakuten's Daisuke Nakajima (中島大輔) underwent surgery on both knees at a hospital in Chiba Prefecture, the club announced, according to Nippon TV News. Nakajima played 125 games this season with a .274 batting average, 5 home runs, 27 RBIs and 11 stolen bases. Nishi-Nippon Shimbun and Sankei Shimbun reported that teammate Ryosuke Tatsumi (辰己涼介) had surgery on his right elbow.
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Rakuten announced that Daisuke Nakajima (中島大輔) underwent surgery on both knees at a hospital in Chiba Prefecture the day before the announcement, Nippon TV News reported. According to the club, the procedures were an autologous osteochondral column transplant and a lateral patellar retinaculum release on the left knee, and a patellar tendon synovectomy on the right knee. The club said he will aim to return while monitoring his recovery. [ 1 ]
Nakajima joined Rakuten from Aoyama Gakuin University as a sixth-round pick in the 2023 draft and reached the required number of plate appearances for the first time last season, his second year. This season, his third, he appeared in 125 games with a .274 batting average, 5 home runs, 27 RBIs and 11 stolen bases, Nippon TV News reported. [ 1 ]
Nishi-Nippon Shimbun and Sankei Shimbun reported that Ryosuke Tatsumi (辰己涼介) also had surgery, on his right elbow. Neither outlet's headline gave further details of his procedure. [ 2 , 3 ]
Why it matters
Two Rakuten players went under the knife after the season, and the club said Nakajima will aim to return depending on how his recovery goes. The reports give no timetable for either player's return.
Key facts
- Rakuten's Daisuke Nakajima (中島大輔) had surgery on both knees at a hospital in Chiba Prefecture the day before the club's announcement, Nippon TV News reported. [ 1 ]
- The club said the procedures were an autologous osteochondral column transplant and a lateral patellar retinaculum release on the left knee, and a patellar tendon synovectomy on the right knee. [ 1 ]
- Nakajima will aim to return while monitoring his recovery, according to the club. [ 1 ]
- Nakajima joined Rakuten from Aoyama Gakuin University as a sixth-round pick in the 2023 draft and reached the required number of plate appearances for the first time last season, his second year. [ 1 ]
- This season, his third, Nakajima played 125 games with a .274 average, 5 home runs, 27 RBIs and 11 stolen bases. [ 1 ]
- Rakuten's Ryosuke Tatsumi (辰己涼介) had surgery on his right elbow, Nishi-Nippon Shimbun and Sankei Shimbun reported. [ 2 , 3 ]
Confirmed by several sources
Still unclear
- When Nakajima or Tatsumi will return to play. Nippon TV News said only that Nakajima will aim to return while monitoring his recovery; no outlet gave a timetable for either player.
- Details of Tatsumi's elbow surgery. Nishi-Nippon Shimbun and Sankei Shimbun reported it only in headlines, without describing the procedure or where it was done.