Yomiuri Giants manager Tatsunori Hara said Monday that there is a plan to have outfielder Yoshinobu Takahashi, who suffers from chronic lower back pain, cover first base in his bid to make a comeback to baseball.
Takahashi, who has not played in an actual game all season, has never covered first base in his 12-year career but Hara believes the 34-year-old is up to the challenge.
"It's time that Yoshinobu get back to playing. I've told him in discussions to think about playing first base," Hara said.
First baseman Lee Seung Yeop has been in a slump and made repeated trips to the team's farm team this year due to lower back pain. Recently, outfielder Yoshiyuki Kamei has had several opportunities to play first.
"This season, we have had a lot of trouble with the first base position. I've told him (Takahashi) about the team's situation and he understands. Playing the outfield has been a burden for him and that's why he is the way he is now. I think that he will be willing to make a sacrifice for the team."