Free-agent infielder, and amateur dancer, Munenori Kawasaki will reportedly not play on a Major League Baseball diamond in 2017.
According to a Japanese report from Yahoo, translated by Jason Coskrey of the Japan Times, Kawasaki is returning to the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks of the Pacific League in Japan. He played six seasons with the Hawks from 2006-11.
While Kawasaki hit a combined .294 over 11 Japanese seasons, he had difficulty translating that success to North America. He bounced between three teams, and spent most of his five seasons in the Toronto Blue Jays organization, where he became something of a cult hero among fans.
He does leave his MLB career on the highest note imaginable, though, as he took home a World Series ring with the Chicago Cubs last year despite not actually being on the postseason roster and appearing in just 14 regular-season games.
Kawasaki was released by the Cubs on March 28.
