KOCHI (Kyodo) Former New York Yankees pitcher Hideki Irabu has been released by the Kochi Fighting Dogs, the Shikoku-Kyushu Island League club said Monday.
Irabu, who joined Kochi just a month ago, has asked his club to terminate his contract after being diagnosed last week with tenosynovitis, the inflammation of a tendon sheath, in his right hand. He will need three weeks to fully recover.
"I want to see how I recover and heal my injury so I can pitch again on a different stage," said the 40-year-old Irabu.
He made two starts for Kochi and got a no-decision both times.
Irabu came out of four years of retirement to pitch for the Long Beach Armada of the U.S. independent professional Golden Baseball League in May before he joined Kochi early last month.