Hanshin Tigers start pitcher Fujinami Shintaro demoted to minor league after being late to practice

Back in March 26th, Fujinami Shintaro was one of the first athletes announced with testing positive for COVID-19.

As players have returned to practice, unfortunately for Fujinami (26) because he was late for practice on May 28th, he was not allowed to go on the practice field and now has been demoted to the minor league.

Head coach Yano Akihiro said “When I am trying to unite as one team, I want him to look back at his actions.  I think people make mistakes and I think there are some mistakes that can make people lose everyone’s trust. This isn’t the first time.  As a member of society, I made the decision considering the connection with people as a member of society”.

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