The Phoenix Mercury today announced that Yuko Oga has been waived. Oga has chosen to return to Japan to fully recover from an injury suffered this past offseason. The Mercury training camp roster now stands at 13.

Oga suffered a fracture dislocation to the radius and ulna in her left wrist on Feb. 7, 2009 while playing in Japan and underwent successful surgery on Feb. 9.

“Yuko showed a lot of heart in the way she tried to fight through the pain that she’s been suffering during training camp,” said Head Coach Corey Gaines. “As camp progressed, the pain returned and she was unable to play to her potential. Despite the incredible job her doctors did on the surgery, she’s unable to participate in full contact basketball at this time and needs to return home to fully recover.”

“We respect Yuko’s decision to return to Japan, which was a very difficult one,” said General Manager Ann Meyers Drysdale. “It was unfortunate that she couldn’t continue to perform at the level that she expected of herself. We wish her the best in her recovery.”

Oga, nicknamed “Shin”, became just the second Japanese player in WNBA history (Mikiko Hagiwara) when she appeared in 23 games for the Mercury in 2008. In her first season in Phoenix, she averaged 2.4 points in 7.8 minutes.