Tokyo Yakult Swallows slugger Wladimir Balentien will be out for another four to six weeks due to a strained muscle in his left thigh, the Central League club said Saturday.
Balentien, whose 60 home runs in 2013 set Japan's single-season record, was hurt on Friday, his first game back after offseason surgery to repair his left Achilles tendon. He was diagnosed as having a strained rectus femoris muscle, one of the four muscles that make up the quadriceps, in his left leg.
The left fielder was hobbling on Friday after chasing a shallow pop fly in the fifth inning of Yakult's 3-2, extra-inning win over the Yomiuri Giants at Jingu Stadium.