It’s been a while since Hiroyuki Nakajima played shortstop. But with the Orix Buffaloes’ good glove Ryoichi Adachi still being treated for colitis, Nakajima is set to encore at the position he made his own for a decade with the Seibu Lions.

I was keen to ask Nakaji about this on Saturday, when I visited Seibu Dome, but he found a good reason to decline. The former Oakland A’s farmhand had something more important to do — sign autographs. At least one guy in Japan gets it.

An MLB journeyman who found stardom in Japan, Matt Murton is wearing a Cubs jersey for the first time since 2008 this spring, with hopes of catching on in the majors one more time.

Source: Matt Murton hopes to complete rare return trip from Japan to majors

Spent a great afternoon with Matt in Nashville in December, when he revealed some things he had learned about hitting in Japan and about himself.