Kyoyama, Who Left Lotte, Likely Heading to Taiwan! "Reaches Agreement to Join Rakuten Monkeys"

*This content was translated by AI.

Kyoyama Masaya (28), a right-handed pitcher who joined the KBO League's Lotte Giants as an Asia quota player after playing for the Yokohama DeNA BayStars of Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) and was later released, is heading to the Chinese Professional Baseball League (CPBL) in Taiwan.

Wang Yi-chen (), a reporter well-versed in Taiwan's baseball scene, reported on the 4th via his social media that "Kyoyama Masaya, who left Lotte Giants seeking new opportunities on the Taiwan stage, is said to have reached an agreement to join the CPBL's Rakuten Monkeys."

Although Kyoyama joined Lotte Giants this season, he appeared in 10 games in the KBO League's first division without a win, recording one loss and one hold with an ERA of 7.59, and was released as of June 25. His performance in the Futures League (second division) this season stands at nine games, one win, one loss, one hold, and an ERA of 4.67.

Kyoyama was first removed from the first-division roster on April 19 but returned after adjustments on April 29. However, he failed to rebound and was sent down to the second division again ahead of a game on May 9. His last appearance in the first division was against the KIA Tigers on May 8. Ultimately, Lotte signed Shota Iimura to replace Kyoyama.

After leaving Korea, Kyoyama chose Taiwan as his next destination. The team that actively reached out to him, who was aiming for a comeback on the Taiwan stage, was none other than Rakuten Monkeys, a powerhouse in the CPBL. No official announcement from the club has been made yet.

With this move, Kyoyama will have experienced professional baseball leagues in three Asian countries: Japan (NPB), Korea (KBO), and now Taiwan (CPBL). It remains to be seen whether he can build a foundation for a comeback with Rakuten Monkeys in Taiwan after his disappointing performance in Korea.

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*This content was translated by AI.