Daisuke Matsuzaka has been penciled in to pitch in the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks' final game of the regular season on Sunday.
"I've heard his condition is improving. I'd like to give him a chance of an inning or two (in relief)," Hawks skipper Kimiyasu Kudo said Friday.
Kudo said the right-hander could be used in the Climax Series depending on how he fares against the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles in Sendai.
Matsuzaka, 36, pitched in the majors for the Boston Red Sox and New York Mets, before returning to Japan with the Hawks in 2015 but has not made a single appearance for the first team after struggling with injuries.