The Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks deactivated right-hander Shota Takeda on Friday due to shoulder inflammation, while announcing that Venezuelan setup man Robert Suarez has had Tommy John surgery.
Takeda's deactivation comes three days after veteran lefty Tsuyoshi Wada was deactivated with stiffness in his elbow. The 24-year-old Takeda has not worked past the sixth inning in either of his two starts and has a 1-1 record with a 5.91 ERA.
Daisuke Matsuzaka, who is currently deactivated, had been considered a candidate to take Wada's spot in the rotation, but is struggling with fitness issues.