Brad Eldred, whose 37 home runs last year led the Central League, has had surgery on his right knee, the Hiroshima Carp announced Thursday.
The 34-year-old Eldred underwent a procedure in the United States on Monday to repair damage to the medial meniscus in his right knee. No timetable has been set for his return to duty. Eldred has hit 61 home runs in 249 games since joining the Carp midway through the 2012 season.
"I heard he had surgery. I've said it before, but we don't have a replacement," rookie Carp skipper Koichi Ogata said. "We're going to go with three (foreign) pitchers and one position player."
Teams are limited to a maximum of four foreign players on the active 28-man roster, with a maximum of three position players allowed in the game at once.
Eldred hurt the knee in an exhibition game game in Okinawa on Feb. 26.
He missed 28 games last season, but still drove in 104 runs for the third-place Carp.