Sources confirmed to the Cuban Baseball Digest that SoftBank Hawks star left-hander reliever Liván Moinelo will opt to have surgery on his injured left elbow. The pitcher was examined a few weeks ago by doctors in Sendai and it was later determined that he has arthritis in his elbow.
Later in the day the hurler from Pinar del Río, Cuba was placed on the IL by the Japanese squad. This is a big blow for the team’s relief corps, Moinelo is SoftBank’s setup man and the precursor to closer Roberto Osuna. Moinelo is only the 4th foreign reliever with more than 150 holds in Nippon League history.
Lefty Liván Moinelo of the @HAWKS_official has opted to have surgery on his left elbow and will miss the rest of the season. #pelotacubana #NPB #SoftBankHawks pic.twitter.com/L6JF7we9lY
— Cuban Baseball Digest (@CBaseballDigest) July 15, 2023
This might further explain his omission from the Pacific League’s roster for the NPB All-Star Game. The diminutive hurler is arguably the best lefty reliever the Pacific League. On the season the southpaw has 3 wins, 13 holds and five saves all as team’s setup man. In 27 ⅔ innings pitched he has also fanned 37 batters.
When the Moinelo will take the mound again is not known is this time, but with this type of injury the team might take its time and not rush the Cuban in his recovery. Moinelo has been part of the Cuban National Team for close to a decade now and has also seen action in the Pan-American Games, Caribbean World Series and various World Baseball Classics.