Chunichi Dragons right-hander Kenshin Kawakami was removed from the top-team roster on Friday after being hit in his right knee by a grounder by Andy Sheets in a game against the Hanshin Tigers on Thursday.
Chunichi did not disclose any details of the injury to Kawakami, the 2004 Central League MVP who left the game at Nagoya Dome in the fifth inning.
Kawakami was last deactivated in April 2005. Kawakami led the Central League with 17 wins and 194 strikeouts in 2006, helping the Dragons win the league championship.
He is 1-1 with a 5.04 earned run average in four starts this season. In another move, the Softbank Hawks took left-hander Tsuyoshi Wada off the active roster due to inflammation in his back.
Wada had an MRI at a hospital in Fukuoka on Friday, which discovered no major problems in the injured area of his back. He has a 3-0 record in four starts this season with a 2.08 ERA.