Veteran Orix Buffaloes first baseman Kazuhiro Kiyohara underwent surgery on his left knee in a Tokyo hospital Wednesday, the Pacific League club said.
Kiyohara plans to start rehabilitation in mid-March, shortly before the March 24 season opening of the Pacific League, and aims to return to action by the end of May. The 39-year-old, who is fifth on the all-time home run list in Japanese baseball with 525, had been training separately from the rest of the team since Orix's training camp got under way in Miyakojima, Okinawa Prefecture, on Feb. 1 because of problems with the knee.
He did not travel with the team to its second camp in Kochi Prefecture on Feb. 19 and moved to Tokyo to undergo tests after the condition of his knee deteriorated.