Tokyo Yakult Swallows right-hander Shohei Tateyama will have ligament reconstruction surgery on his right elbow and will miss the rest of the season, the team announced Sunday.
The 32-year-old, who has reached double digits in wins in each of the past five seasons and was the Swallows' Opening Day starter for the first time last month, had a similar procedure performed on the elbow in March 2004.
He left Friday's game against the Yokohama BayStars with discomfort in his elbow. An examination on Saturday revealed the repaired ligament had snapped.
"It held up so well all this time," Tateyama said. "I had hoped to be part of our pennant chase, someone who could respond to the manager's moves, so this is regrettable. But I don't regret that it snapped in the line of duty."