Yomiuri Giants outfielder Yoshinobu Takahashi was removed from the active roster Saturday after bruising his left side in a game against the Hiroshima Carp earlier this week.
Takahashi suffered the injury when he dove to catch a fly ball in left field at Tokyo Dome on Wednesday. He is scheduled to undergo a detailed examination at a hospital on Monday.
Takahashi sat out a game Thursday and was replaced in a game against the Yokohama BayStars the following day.
The Giants have gotten off to a solid start to take the early lead in the Central League standings but have been hit by a series of injuries to players, including lefty Hisanori Takahashi, who is expected to be sidelined for two months after breaking his cheek bone when he was hit with a hard-hit foul ball early this month.