Here’s a look at where each team stands in the Pacific League. Our beat reporters select their MVP from last week, highlight key storylines for the upcoming week, and provide updates on roster moves and minor league news.
Pacific League managers
Orix’s Aren Kuri (Photo taken on April 18, 2026)
**Orix Buffaloes: Last Week’s MVP & This Week’s Preview – Will the ‘Lucky Bug’ Effect Continue? Can Aren Kuri End the Losing Streak? Is Hot-Hitting Tomoya Mori Back on Track?**
SoftBank’s Hiroto Fujiwara (Photo taken on February 23, 2026)
**SoftBank Hawks: Last Week’s MVP & This Week’s Preview – Spotlight on 20-Year-Old Developmental Draft Pick Hiroto Fujiwara, Aiming to Become the Team’s Third Player to Win His Pro Debut Start**
Seibu’s Yutaro Watanabe (Photo taken on April 17, 2026)
**Seibu Lions: Last Week’s MVP & This Week’s Preview – Yutaro Watanabe to Lead the Lions on a 5-Game Road Trip. This Game Against SoftBank, Who Beat Him Last Time, Could Have Major Implications for His Future.**
Nippon-Ham’s Hiromi Ito (Photo taken on May 1, 2026)
**Nippon-Ham Fighters: Last Week’s MVP & This Week’s Preview – Ace Hiromi Ito Bounces Back, Making His First Tuesday Start of the Season. Can He Build Momentum?**
Rakuten’s Kosei Shoji doing catch play during starting pitcher practice (Photo by Kana Takahashi)
**Rakuten Eagles: Last Week’s MVP & This Week’s Preview – Can Kosei Shoji Tie His Career High with a 5th Win? He Has a 2.93 ERA and Has Not Been Taken Off the Active Roster Once Since Opening Day.**
Lotte’s Kazuya Ojima (Photo taken on March 22, 2026)
**Chiba Lotte Marines: Last Week’s MVP & This Week’s Preview – Kazuya Ojima Finally Goes for His First Win of the Season. Can Tatsuki Ogawa, on an 8-Game Hitting Streak, Provide Support on Both Offense and Defense?**
**Roster Moves & Minor League Updates**
– **Pacific League:** Seibu’s Masashi Kuwahara could return to game action as early as the 15th; Nippon-Ham’s Kohei Arihara pitched in a farm game but still has work to do.
– **Central League:** DeNA’s Yoshi Tsutsugo has returned to game action; Hanshin’s #1 draft pick Masahiro Tateishi steps into the box in a live BP session.
**Central League:** Last Week’s MVP & This Week’s Preview – Yakult’s Taichi Yamano and Hanshin’s Haruto Takahashi are likely to face off again on the 13th.