Kohei Arihara Considering MLB Return

Former Rangers right-hander Kohei Arihara is interested in returning to MLB, per a report from Yahoo Japan (h/t to Yakyu Cosmopolitan). Arihara is set to become a free agent on December 2. He’s been with the SoftBank Hawks of Nippon Professional Baseball for the past three seasons.

Arihara began his career in NPB, spending six seasons with the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters. His solid work at Japan’s highest level earned him a two-year, $6.2MM deal with the Rangers in December 2020. Arihara pitched in parts of two seasons for Texas from 2021 to 2022. He struggled to a 6.64 ERA across 10 starts with the Rangers in his first season. The results were even worse the following year, when Arihara posted a 9.45 ERA over five appearances. He was designated for assignment in September 2022 and elected free agency at the end of the year.

The righty’s stateside debut was marred by a serious injury early in the season. The team discovered an aneurysm in Arihara’s shoulder, leading to surgery that sidelined him until September. Arihara was crushed for nine earned runs over 12 innings after coming back from the injury.

Arihara excelled in his return to NPB, putting together three productive seasons with the Hawks. He posted a pristine 2.31 ERA in 17 starts with the team in 2023. Arihara nearly matched that mark across a longer sample the following season, recording a 2.36 ERA over 26 starts on his way to 14 wins. He won another 14 games this past season, though his ERA did creep over 3.00.

The 33-year-old Arihara seems to be past the health issues that plagued his previous MLB stint, tossing at least 175 innings in back-to-back seasons. He’s certainly built some momentum toward a possible return to the big leagues. The Yahoo Japan report noted that the Yomiuri Giants are also interested in Arihara’s services.

Photo courtesy of Eric Canha, Imagn Images