How the roster numbers break down (2026 season)
| Layer | Limit | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Registered (reserve) players | Up to 70 | All players under contract who may appear in official games (developmental players excluded) |
| Active roster (ichi-gun registration) | 31 | Players eligible to appear in top-league official games |
| Game-day bench | 26 | Players allowed in the dugout for a given game, chosen from the 31 |
| Starting lineup | 9 (10 with the DH) | Players in the starting order |
The rules fix only the totals and the foreign-player limit; there is no mandated split between pitchers and position players, which is left to each club. Foreign players are capped at 5 on the active roster (no more than 4 pitchers and 4 position players among them) and 4 on the game-day bench. See the glossary entry on registered players for how the reserve list relates to the active roster.
How the limits have changed
| Period | Active roster | Bench | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Through 2018 | 28 | 25 | The 28-player cap was in place for many years |
| 2019 | 29 | 25 | Expanded by one via an amendment to the NPB Agreement rules |
| 2020 onward | 31 | 26 | Expanded as a COVID-19 special measure (foreign-player registrations also went from 4 to 5), renewed every year since; continuation for 2026 was announced on November 11, 2025 |
For how these expansions reshaped pitcher usage and bench tactics, see the article "Evolution of NPB Roster Limits".
Deactivation and the 10-day rule
As a rule, a player removed from the active roster cannot be re-registered for 10 days. Injury and slump-related roster moves operate under this rule, which discourages rapid-fire shuttling of players (the COVID-19 special measures allowed exceptions to the 10-day wait). Daily registrations and removals are published on NPB's official announcements page.
Frequently asked questions
How many players can be on the bench in an NPB game?
26 players (2026 season). For each game, 26 players are chosen from the 31-player active roster.
What is the difference between the active roster and the game-day bench?
The active roster is the list of 31 players eligible for top-league games, while the bench is the 26 who actually sit in the dugout for that game. That means 5 registered players sit out of any given game's bench.
How many foreign players can be on the NPB active roster?
Up to 5 on the active roster, with no more than 4 pitchers and 4 position players among them, and up to 4 on the game-day bench (2026 season). Before the 2020 expansion the registration limit was 4.
What happens when a player is removed from the active roster?
As a rule, the player cannot be re-registered for 10 days (with exceptions such as trades) and typically spends that time with the farm team.