Chiba Lotte Marines reliever Yasuhiko Yabuta was removed from the active roster Tuesday, citing stiffness in his right shoulder, officials of the Pacific League club said.
Yabuta had complained of tension in his shoulder a few days earlier and pitching coach Yuji Inoue said the right-hander has been deactivated as a precaution. This season, Yabuta has a 2-2 record with one save and a 1.875 ERA in 21 games.