According to a report by the Italian baseball blog Grande Slam, Italian right-hander Alessandro Maestri has been optioned to the minor leagues by his Nippon Professional Baseball League club ORIX Buffaloes to participate in the fall league “Miyazakai Phoenix League”. 16 minor league teams of NPB, three of the Korean Professional Baseball League (KBO: Doosan Bears, LG Twins, Hanwha Eagles) and an all-star team of the Shikoku Island League will play in the competition from October 8 to 29.
Maestri won his last start with the Buffaloes on Saturday, allowing four hits and four walks in 5 1/3 scoreless innings in a 5-0 shutout over the Chiba Lotte Marines. Overall he went 4-3 with an ERA of 2.17 in eight games. He struck out 40 and walked 12 in 49.2 innings pitched, after being signed out of an independent league this summer. The stint in the Miyazakai Phoenix League should be considered as another audition for a contract in Nippon Professional Baseball next year for the Rimini-native.