According to Sanspo.com, Akinori Iwamura has signed on with the Rakuten Golden Eagles of Japan.

It sounded like Iwamura would have preferred remaining in the U.S., but after hitting .173/.285/.250 in 196 at-bats for the Pirates and A's last season, he wasn't going to be offered anything more than a minor league deal over here. A solid regular with the Rays from 2007-09, he returns to Japan having hit .267/.345/.375 with 16 homers in 1,545 at-bats.

Akinori Iwamura would like to stay in MLB next season instead of returning to Japan.

Iwamura was a solid player in his first three seasons in the states, but last year he fell flat on his face, batting .173/.285/.250 with two homers over 196 at-bats with the Pirates and A's. He'll almost surely have to sign a minor league deal and earn a roster spot during spring training.

Athletics released 2B Akinori Iwamura.

Iwamura, 31, hit just .173/.285/.250 with two homers and 13 RBI in 196 at-bats this season and could have real trouble finding a big-league job for 2011. A minor league deal with a club desperate for middle infield help might make sense. Or maybe the Japan native will decide to head home.

A's manager Bob Geren said Wednesday that Akinori Iwamura and Kevin Kouzmanoff will split time at third base for the club's remaining games.

The A's are obviously trying to get a good look at Iwamura's skill set. He was signed on September 12 after the Pirates gave up on him because of a miserable .182/.292/.267 batting line. But he's only 31 years of age.

Akinori Iwamura will make his Athletics' debut at third base on Monday afternoon.

That was quick. Looking for help at third base with Kevin Kouzmanoff currently sidelined due to lower back pain, Iwamura was just signed by the Athletics on Sunday. Though Iwamaura has only played one inning at third base in the major leagues, he played 38 games at the hot corner during his time with Triple-A Indianapolis this season. He shouldn't be on your fantasy radar.

Athletics signed infielder Akinori Iwamura.

Iwamura will be in uniform on Monday in Kansas City. Oakland was looking for infield depth after Kevin Kouzmanoff's lower back pain forced him to miss six straight games. Iwamura should see playing time at third base until Kouz returns. That doesn't mean you want to use him in fantasy. The 31-year-old veteran hit .182/.292/.267 in 54 games for the Pirates.

The Athletics will sign infielder Akinori Iwamura on Monday, according to Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle.

Iwamura will join the team in Kansas City. He spent much of the season at Triple-A after being designated for assignment by the Pirates and clearing waivers in mid-June. Pittsburgh DFA'd him again earlier this month and then released him on Friday. The 31-year-old had an awful .182/.292/.267 batting line in 54 games this year for the Pirates. It's hard to imagine him having any fantasy impact over the next three weeks.

Pirates released infielder Akinori Iwamura.

Iwamura spent much of the season at Triple-A after being designated for assignment and clearing waivers in mid-June. He returned when rosters expanded last week, but never saw any action before being let go for good.

According to Rob Biertempfel of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, the Pirates will designate INF Akinori Iwamura and C Erik Kratz for assignment on Tuesday.

The team is expected to recall Pedro Ciriaco, Brad Lincoln, Jason Jaramillo and Justin Thomas and purchase the contracts of Alex Presley, Steven Jackson, Brandon Moss and Brian Bass before Tuesday's game, so they'll have to create some spots on the 40-man roster first. With that in mind, Ross Ohlendorf and Jeff Clement will also be moved to the 60-day disabled list.

Akinori Iwamura, who is currently playing with Triple-A Indianapolis, was hospitalized and diagnosed with a concussion after a collision while running the bases Wednesday.

He ran into an infielder covering first base during the first inning of Wednesday's game. A CT scan and other tests came back negative, according to Pirates director of player development Kyle Stark, but Iwamura will be re-evaluated later in the week. Iwamura is batting .299/.450/.437 with two homers and 12 RBI over 87 at-bats since being optioned to Triple-A Indianapolis last month.

Pirates optioned 2B Akinori Iwamura to Triple-A Indianapolis.

Iwamura cleared waivers after being designated for assignment by the Pirates last week. He is scheduled to report to Triple-A Indianapolis on Firday. Aki will stick in the minors for now, but look for Pirates general manager Neal Huntington to continue to try to find a new home for him in the weeks to come.

Jenifer Langosch of MLB.com reports that the Pirates will option second baseman Akinori Iwamura to Triple-A Indianapolis after failing to find a suitable trade.

Pirates general manager Neal Huntington said Sunday that a small number of teams had expressed interest in Iwamura, but they were unable to come to an agreement, at least not yet. He'll report to Triple-A Indianapolis on Friday. Iwamura was designated for assignment by the club last week after batting just .182/.292/.267 over his first 165 at-bats this season.

Pirates general manager Neal Huntington said Sunday that "a small number of teams" have expressed interest in Akinori Iwamura.

Iwamura was designated for assignment late last week after batting just .182/.292/.267 with nine RBI over his first 165 at-bats in a Pirates uniform. Huntington is hoping to deal the second baseman, but chances are the Bucs will simply release him and swallow the $3 million that he's still owed.

Pirates president Frank Coonelly said the team didn't ask for a physical when they acquired Akinori Iwamura from the Rays last November.

Yes, even though Iwamura was coming back from major knee surgery, the team relied on scouting reports. It sounds insane, but according to Coonelly, it is uncommon for major league teams to ask for physicals. Iwamura was designated for assignment earlier this week after batting just .182/.292/.267 with two home runs and nine RBI over 165 at-bats.

Pirates designated 2B Akinori Iwamura for assignment.

Iwamura was an odd fit in Pittsburgh from the start. He lost the starting second base job upon Neil Walker's promotion from Triple-A Indianapolis last month and batted just .182/.292/.267 with two home runs and nine RBI in 165 at-bats with the Bucs. It's unlikely that the Pirates will be able to find a taker for the prorated portion of his $4.85 million salary for the remainder of this season, so Iwamura may eventually be able to sign with a team of his choosing at the major league minimum.

Akinori Iwamura returned to action on Friday May 21.

Akinori Iwamura (hamstring) took extra batting practice Monday but was not included in the Pirates' starting lineup against the Phillies.

Iwamura has missed two straight games since coming down with a tight right hamstring over the weekend. There's a chance he will return on Tuesday. If not, Delwyn Young will likely start at second base again

Akinori Iwamura was out of the Pirates' lineup Sunday due to a tight right hamstring.

The injury isn't expected to be serious enough to warrant a stint on the disabled list for Iwamura, but perhaps a few days off will do him some good. He's hitting .159/.262/.230 since joining the Pirates this offseason.

Akinori Iwamura went 0-for-4 in Wednesday's loss and is just 2-for-35 this month.

Iwamura wasn't any good in April either, but now he's killing the Pirates at the top of the order. If this keeps up, there will be revived talk of moving Andy LaRoche to second base. Such a move would open up the hot corner for top prospect Pedro Alvarez.

Akinori Iwamura went 2-for-4 with a homer and two RBI in the Pirates' 6-5 win over the Giants on Tuesday.

Oddly enough, Iwamura has managed to drive in six runs in eight games out of the leadoff spot. With two homers already, he's surpassed his total of one in 69 games for the Rays last year.