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Bobby Keppel told reporters on Saturday that he did not think there was any reason to rush himself to make the start of the regular season.

Source: Nikkan Sports 2/17/2013

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Bobby Keppel is coming off right shoulder surgery.  His bullpen session was canceled today because it was a little chilly (precaution).

Source: Nikkan Sports 2/6/2013

Keppel did apparently throw the ball five times before cutting the session short.

Source: Sanspo 2/6/2013

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Mitsuo Yoshikawa will likely start to toss bullpens every other day.

Source: Nikkan Sports 2/6/2013

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Yuki Saito threw into a new for about an hour on Tuesday and stopped every now and then to check on footage of his mechanics.  He has also been checking footage after returning to the player hotel.

Source: Sponichi 2/6/2013

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During workouts on Tuesday, Shinya Tsuruoka said he would quit if he allowed Takuya Nakashima to steal a base on his during base-running/catching exercises.  Nakashima ended up getting the stolen base and people started to jokingly chant, "Quit!"

Source: Nikkan Sports 2/6/2013

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Sho Nakata and Atsunori Inaba are expected to play a full game on 7th (intra-squad).  Inaba will likely shift to just a hitting role after the 5th inning.

Source: Nikkan Sports 2/6/2013

Nakata spent about an hour taking grounders at first base after general workouts today under the watchful eye of Samurai Japan OF/base-running coach Koichi Ogata.

Source: Sanspo 2/6/2013

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Masaru Nakamura is currently slated to start a practice game against Hanshin on the 10th.

Source: Nikkan Sports 2/6/2013

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1st round draft pick Shohei Otani took part in pick-off play and bunt defense practices on Tuesday.  He had some difficulties keeping up and made a number of mistakes.  Drills had to be stopped three times during the twenty minute or so session.  Makoto Kaneko did his best to help Otani out.

Source: Nikkan Sports 2/6/2013

The Fighters have more than ten signals for plays involving bunts and pick-off throws.

Source: Sponichi 2/6/2013

Otani left Okinawa today for Iwate -- he has high school finals.  He will return on the 8th and rejoin workouts on the 9th.

Source: Sanspo 2/6/2013, Daily Sports 2/6/2013

According to Nikkan Sports, Terrmel Sledge (35) will not be returning to the the Nippon Ham Fighters next season.  An announcement will be made within the next couple of days.

Dustin Molleken's (28) status is still uncertain -- much will depend on negotiations.  Brian Wolfe (31) and Micah Hoffpauir (32) are both expected to return in 2013.

Source: Nikkan Sports 11/4/2012

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UPDATE @ 11:10pm - Bobby Keppel (30) is also expected to return next year.  Source: Daily Sports 11/4/2012

Brian Wolfe (31) and Micah Hoffpauir (32) will most likely return to the Nippon ham Fighters next season.

The Fighters exercised a club option on Wolfe and have reportedly agreed to pay him about 100M yen next season.  Hoffpauir drew interest from one or more NPB teams but has already unofficially agreed to sign a deal worth an estimated 80M yen.

Still no word on what Nippon Ham is planning with Bobby Keppel.  Terrmel Sledge will most likely not return.

The Fighters announced today that Terrmel Sledge and Bobby Keppel both went under the knife and Tuesday.

Sledge had his left knee scoped at a hospital in California.  He will begin his rehab in the US before setting a timetable on his return to Japan.

Keppel had his right shoulder cleaned out at a hospital in Florida.  He will head to Missouri for his rehab.

Source: Official team website, Sponichi 7/18/2012

The Nippon Ham Fighters announced today that Bobby Keppel, currently in the US, will get his right shoulder (glenoid labrum) cleaned out on June 29.  Since it usually takes players about six months for a full recovery, he is not expected to make a return during the season.

Keppel's comment on the decision: "In speaking to my doctor and to the team, the best option was to get the surgery.  I will make sure that I am at 100% for the start of spring camp next year."

Source: Nikkan Sports 6/15/2012, Sponichi 6/15/2012

Bobby Keppel had his right shoulder examined at a hospital in Alabama on Tuesday and was diagnosed with minor contusions on his subscapularis muscle and his glenoid labrum.  Keppel will spend the next month or so rehabbing in the US and will be re-evaluated again some time in late June (that is when the team will determine his timetable).

UPDATE 5/10 @ 1:43pm - Sports Hochi notes that Keppel may not make it back until around the All-Star break.

Sho Nakata injured his right knee during fielding practice at Sapporo Dome today and cut his workouts short (he tweaked his knee when he jumped).  He is considered day-to-day.

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Bobby Keppel started a Ni-gun game against Yokohama at Kamagaya today and tossed seven shutout innings while allowing four hits.  Of the twenty-one outs recorded, eleven were ground ball outs.

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Hideki Kuriyama visited Kamagaya today to check on Ni-gun players.

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The team has apparently received more inquiries about their home opener and sold more tickets after Yuki Saito was named the starter.  Promo tickets to their opening series are also close to being sold out.

The Fighters announced today that Micah Hoffpauir is scheduled to return to Japan on March 23 and rejoin the team for pre-game practice on March 24.

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Bobby Keppel's outing on Tuesday will likely be his last before the start of the regular season.

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Yuki Saito is scheduled to start Thursday's game against the Softbank Hawks (Sapporo Dome).

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The Fighters announced today that they will continue to donate money to Akaihane this season: 1,000 yen for every victory and 1,000 yen for every hit.

7th round draft pick Takumi Oshima may opt to miss his university graduation ceremony (March 26) since he hopes to be in Hokkaido preparing for opening day on March 30.

Oshima did not play in Saturday's exhibition game against the Rakuten Eagles because of some lower back pain.  And while he did take batting practice, he was not available off the bench.

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Terrmel Sledge and Brian Wolfe went fishing on their day off on Friday and returned to the player hotel empty-handed.

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The Fighters currently have forty-one players at Ichi-gun camp.  Hideki Kuriyama is planning to drop three pitchers and three position players to Ni-gun on February 28 and continue to pare the roster down to about thirty players by March 8.

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Bobby Keppel is scheduled to start Sunday's game against the Yokohama Bay Stars.

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The Fighters have set up three meeting rooms on the first floor of their team office in Sapporo.  The three rooms will each have a name: Darvish, Shinjo, and Hillman.