Tokyho Yakult Swallows right-hander Yasuhiro Ogawa is not optimistic about returning before the All-Star break after tests Monday showed he had broken his throwing hand.

“Ryan” Ogawa, the Central League’s 2013 Rookie of the Year, was diagnosed with a broken right hand and will need six weeks to heal, the team said.

Ogawa, Yakult’s opening day starter who had been deactivated Sunday, said coming back during the first half of the season could be a stretch.

“If I’m half-fit, it’ll only create more problems for the team so I want to be completely healthy again,” Ogawa said. “I feel terrible because we’re going through a tough time now.”

In Friday’s loss to the Hanshin Tigers, Ogawa was hit in the palm trying to shield a comebacker hit toward his head. The team thought it was nothing more than a bruised hand, and Ogawa only went for tests because the pain did not go away.

“I was inches away from not being able to play baseball — for good,” said Ogawa, who is 3-1 with a 2.66 ERA this season. “I have to be thankful for that, and I just have to keep plugging away.”

The Swallows are fifth in the Central League at 6-13 and have a 5.95 team ERA, the worst among Japan’s two leagues.