The Cuban pitcher Liván Moinelo received the green light to rejoin the main team of the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks after completing a dominant rehab start in the Farm League on Friday, as reported by Pelota Cubana USA.
The player from Pinar worked six innings in SoftBank's victory over Orix with a score of 6-3, allowing only one run and four hits, giving up two walks and striking out six opponents. His fastball reached a maximum speed of 151 km/h (approximately 93.83 MPH).
At the end of the match, the first team manager, Hiroki Koku, cleared up any doubts regarding the immediate future of the left-handed pitcher: "He will pitch for the first team in his next outing. However, I will keep the date a secret. Moinelo is a positive factor for the second half. If he can contribute to the victory, we will be closer to winning the championship."
The appearance on July 31 was Moinelo's second rehabilitation outing. The first took place on July 23, when he pitched three innings in the same Minor League and stated that his condition was "almost 100%." Prior to that, the pitcher had been inactive since mid-May due to discomfort in his left shoulder that put him on the injured list.
The recovery process was slow: in June, Koku himself had pointed out that the Cuban's launch program was "nowhere near ready" and that a return before the All-Star Game break was unlikely. Friday's performance ultimately convinced the organization that the ace is capable of competing at the highest level.
It is considered very likely that Moinelo will make his debut back on the first team during the three-game series against the Seibu Lions that begins on August 7. SoftBank leads the Pacific League by 5.5 games over Seibu, making the left-handed pitcher's return timely during a crucial point in the season.
The context makes his return even more significant. In 2025, Moinelo had a historic season with a record of 12-3, an earned run average of 1.46, and 172 strikeouts in 167 innings, numbers that earned him the title of MVP of the Nippon Professional Baseball League, becoming the first Cuban and the fourth Latin American to receive that award in the history of the competition.
A year earlier, in 2024, the pitcher from San Juan and Martínez had already made history by leading the Pacific League in ERA with an ERA of 1.88, becoming the first Latin American to achieve this, in addition to winning the Golden Glove in the NPB.
SoftBank is awaiting its return as the reinforcement that can tip the scales in the second half of a season in which the club is already favored to win the championship.
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