The Nippon Ham Fighters said Monday they have acquired switch-hitting infielder Alen Hanson from the Ibaraki Astro Planets of Japan's independent Baseball Challenge League.
The 30-year-old from the Dominican Republic played a total of 261 major league games between 2016 and 2019 for the Pittsburgh Pirates, the Chicago White Sox, the San Francisco Giants and the Toronto Blue Jays.
Hanson was a .232 career hitter with 12 home runs and 55 RBIs in the majors.
"He played many positions in the major leagues," Fighters general manager Atsunori Inaba said. "He gets a lot of extra-base hits. He is a great athlete and a switch hitter. Our team needs him now."
