Orix Buffaloes pitcher Yuki Udagawa will make his second start toward his return in the Miyazaki Phoenix League currently being held in Miyazaki Prefecture.

"It's been since my first year that I've gone to Phoenix. My feeling in the bullpen was good, and I've started to see the light at the end of the tunnel." In early October, Udagawa spoke with a bounce in his voice after throwing about 40 pitches in the bullpen at the team's facility in Maishima, Osaka.

During the 2025 spring training, he injured his right elbow and underwent Tommy John (TJ) surgery on March 11. In this season, his sixth year as a developmental player, his recovery seemed to be progressing well. On March 12 of this year, he pitched in live batting practice, and one week later, he stood on the mound in a practical game for the first time in 552 days during an exhibition game against a corporate team. Although his appearances in April were limited to one game due to discomfort in his elbow, he recovered enough to pitch in four farm regular season games and one exhibition game in May.

However, his elbow was not in perfect condition after the surgery. As his power output increased, he was struck by pain after throwing. "I could reach speeds of 154 or 155 kilometers per hour, but in my case, there was a massive reaction to it, and I ended up in a cycle of throwing and then resting; it didn't go well." He noted that it wasn't just the physical reaction to his rapid progress, but also his own impatience. "I was so desperate to pitch in games and to be promoted to the main roster. I was rushing and rushing, trying to improve my condition as quickly as possible."

On July 15th, he pitched in a practice game against a corporate team for the first time in about two months, but he had to make an emergency exit after throwing 15 pitches. Since then, he has spent his days in rehabilitation. Due to this accident occurring just before the registration deadline, he was unable to achieve his goal of returning to the main roster. However, Udagawa revealed that he had already felt the possibility was slim in mid-April, stating, 'I felt something wrong in April and stopped pitching, so I gave up at that point. I felt that getting on the main roster this year would be difficult.'

During the rehabilitation period of about three months, he reviewed his form. He said, "I've been thinking about various things, and I feel the cause might not just be the form itself. It felt like I was applying unnecessary force, or getting confused about where to apply strength and where not to. I was throwing in a way that I thought wouldn't strain my elbow, but that might have actually ended up being a burden instead. Since I hadn't developed enough flexibility, I am also working on specific exercises."

During rehabilitation, he is keeping his distance from team information and other updates. "I don't watch the games. It makes me want to pitch, doesn't it? I think getting inspiration is good, but I have to make sure it doesn't turn into something negative. Right now, I am focusing on what I need to do." In early spring, he used to watch videos of pitches from his close teammate of the same age, Soichiro Yamazaki, and other first-team pitchers as motivation for his return, but he said, "The feeling of wanting to pitch soon and wanting to pitch there became too strong. I was working every day so that the coaching staff would think 'Udagawa is fine now,' and I wonder if that wasn't a good thing."

In October, his bullpen pitch increased from twice a week in September to three times a week. His fastball velocity is around 145 km/h, and he also throws his signature fork. "Right now, I'm focusing on the quality of my pitches rather than velocity. The hop component and other aspects have improved since I first returned to playing. It took time, but I think that will pay off when I make my return. To avoid repeating the same mistakes, I want to take things slowly and work towards next season." He is scheduled to join the Phoenix League in the middle of this month. Expectations are high for his first appearance in the first team in three years.

Interview and text by Masaki Kitano