The Hanshin Tigers have decided to exercise their option for 2016 on pitcher Randy Messenger, a source close to the team has told The Japan Times.
Messenger threw 193⅔ innings and finished 9-12 for the Tigers in 2015. The Reno, Nevada, native was often plagued with poor run support and finished the season with a 2.97 ERA that was second-best among Hanshin's qualified starters and ninth-best in the Central League overall. His 194 strikeouts were second only to teammate Shintaro Fujinami's 221 among CL pitchers.
Messenger got off to a slow start to the season, going 2-5 with a 5.88 ERA in eight outings before being sent to the farm. Messenger and the team were at odds about the way the information of his demotion was disseminated at the time, with the pitcher releasing a statement to explain his position.