Four Cuban players in Japanese professional baseball team

HAVANA, Cuba, Mar 27 (acn The Cuban players took over the four seats for foreign players allowed in the roster of the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks, club of the Japanese Professional Baseball League (NPB).

In a press release, the Hawks announced that Alfredo Despaigne, Yurisbel Gracial and Livan Moinelo, hired under the auspices of Cuban Baseball Federation (FCB), as well as Ariel Miranda, will be the four foreigners who will begin the season in the team's active roster.
As reported by the Pacific League club, LHP Moinelo and utility Gracial are in the list mainly due to the injuries of American RHP Dennis Sarfate and Japanese OF Akira Nakamura.
The two other foreigners ruled out were Dutch RHP Rick van den Hurk and Venezuelan RHP Robert Suarez.
The NPB 2019 season will start next March 29, and the Hawks, current champions, will face the Saitama Seibu Lions as home-club at the Yafuoku Dome.
DH Despaigne and Gracial, the latter had an excellent preseason, are expected to be starters, while Moinelo will wait in the bullpen as set-up man and LHP Miranda, who now owns American citizenship, will have a spot in the starting pitcher rotation.