Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles third baseman Akinori Iwamura was removed from the active roster on Saturday after hitting only .169 with no homers and one RBI in 24 games.
The former Tampa Bay Rays leadoff man joined Rakuten in the offseason after spending the past four years in the major leagues.
"I want him to lose weight," Rakuten manager Senichi Hoshino said of Iwamura. "He is still young. He has to make a living playing baseball for many more years."
Iwamura helped the Rays reach the World Series for the first time in their history.