Infielder Munenori Kawasaki posted on his official blog Thursday that he will play with the Chicago Cubs again this season.
"I will play with all my heart and really want to enjoy baseball again," said Kawasaki, who is expected to be on a minor league contract.
This season will be Kawasaki's sixth in North America. The 35-year-old joined Chicago, his first National League club on a minor league deal last year, but spent almost all of it at Triple-A Iowa.
Known for his quirky sense of humor, Kawasaki played 14 games for the Cubs in 2016 and had seven hits in 21 at-bats with a .333 average, one RBI and two stolen bases.
The Cubs won their first World Series championship in 108 years last season. Although not on the Cubs' postseason roster, the bubbly Kawasaki traveled with the team and cheered them on from the bench.
Free agent reliever and compatriot Koji Uehara last month agreed to a one-year deal with the Cubs.