ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (Kyodo) Cleveland Indians reliever Masahide Kobayashi was removed from the 40-man roster on Saturday to make room for starter David Huff, scheduled to make his major league debut Sunday.
Kobayashi's success story as one of the most productive closers in Japan when he played for the Chiba Lotte Marines has not translated well on the other side of the Pacific.
Team officials said he will now have the option of accepting an assignment with Triple-A Columbus or being released.