FUKUOKA – The SoftBank Hawks have notified infielder Tony Batista that he has been left out of their plans for next season. Batista, 31, batted third in the order for most of this year and had a .263 average with 27 homers and 90 RBIs after joining the Hawks on a $15 million deal. The Hawks will pay Batista an estimated 525 million yen in salary for buyout.
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