OSAKA -- Hanshin Tigers infielder Atsushi Kataoka was diagnosed with fractured bones in his left hand Friday after being hit by a pitch in a game with the Yomiuri Giants last Sunday.
Doctors said the injury will take three weeks to heal and the Central League club removed Kataoka from its active roster.
Kataoka underwent medical checks of his left hand at a Tokyo hospital after the game Sunday, but X-rays revealed nothing unusual. Doctors said the hand was just bruised.