It has not been a season to remember for Kenta Maeda. His struggles on the mound led to the Detroit Tigers deciding to release him at the beginning of May. He was quickly picked up by the Chicago Cubs, who also released him, and now he is with the New York Yankees on a minor league deal.
He is currently pitching for the Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders, where he holds a 2-2 record with a 5.40 ERA across 26.2 innings of work. He has not been added to the club's 40-man roster, so his season will be done when the minor league season concludes.
This is likely the former Japanese Triple Crown's last season in Major League Baseball. He recently went on Tokyo's "Sports Real Live," where he shared that he would be leaving the MLB after the 2025 season and returning to play in Japan, via MLB Trade Rumors.
Maeda explained that he was not leaving the MLB because of his poor performance this season. He stated that he decided to return to Japan in 2026, no matter if he was at the top of his game or struggling like he has been.
Looking back at Kenta Maeada's time across Major League Baseball
Not being on the Yankees' 40-man roster, we can sum up Kenta Maeda's career in the big leagues. It spanned nine seasons between the Los Angeles Dodgers, Minnesota Twins, and the Detroit Tigers.
During that stretch, he has put together a 68-56 record with a 4.20 ERA and 1055 strikeouts across 986.2 innings of work. While he was never voted an All-Star, he had a career in the big leagues that many people can only dream of having.