Xu Ruoxi recovered smoothly after lumbar surgery and has entered actual shooting practice

Xu Ruoxi. (File photo, provided by Nishi Nippon Shimbun)

[Reporter Ni Wanjun/Taichung Report] 25-year-old Taiwanese strong pitcher Hsu Ruoxi, who moved to the SoftBank Hawks this year, underwent lumbar disc herniation surgery in mid-July. The recovery progress was smoother than expected, and he entered actual shooting practice yesterday (Live BP) stage, and in the eyes of his Wei Quanlong mentor Ye Junzhang, he pushed back to the few games he started before the surgery, "He was already very good in the few games before the surgery. With his performance like that, there is basically no need to worry!"

After Xu Ruoxi joined SoftBank with a three-year contract with a maximum total value of US$15 million (approximately NT$477 million), although she suffered a setback when her starter was eliminated, she subsequently adjusted appropriately. The last time she started in the first team was against Hengheng on June 7 Hama DeNA surrendered 6 games and lost 2 points, regardless of victory or defeat. After playing in the 2nd Army, he faced the Hanshin Tigers in the 2nd Army on June 14. He failed to score in 3 games as a backup. At that time, SoftBank 2nd Army Supervisor Saito Kazumi praised him: "No one in the 2nd Army can beat him!"

It was just that Xu Ruoxi later called the first army at the end of June. She went to the hospital for a checkup due to waist discomfort and underwent surgery on July 15. It was estimated that she would need to rest for 2 to 3 months. Now she is recovering smoothly. It is expected that after 2 to 3 more Live BPs, she can enter the rehabilitation stage. As for the condition of Xu Ruoxi's waist, Mr. Ye believes that it is not a big problem. Even without surgery, he can still continue to shoot. It is good for him to just get rid of it once and for all after surgery.

Mr. Ye believes that what is more important is Xu Ruoxi's performance in the first few games before the surgery, "It proves that he was still good in that environment. If you didn't see those games, you would feel a little worried for him, but his performance in the subsequent games actually showed that he was good, so there is no need to worry about that."

Xu Ruoxi started 6 games with the first team this season, accumulating 2 wins and 3 losses, with an ERA of 4.99. SoftBank is currently ranked No. 1 in the Western League, and the magic number is M14. In the latter part of the season or entering the playoffs, there will be a chance to see the return of "Taiwan's Treasure".