Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts revealed two-way star Shohei Ohtani will not pitch for Team Japan in the 2026 World Baseball Classic.
“Well, he’s not gonna pitch in the WBC, but he will be ramping up his arm to get ready for this season and I think for me is I don’t know how many innings he threw last year, but obviously with the full offseason going north of what he did last year,” Roberts said.
“I wasn’t surprised, so I can’t even say I was relieved. I think that he wants to, understanding what he did last year, what he had to go through to then, how best to prepare himself for 26 to do both, it just seemed like the right decision, so I wasn’t surprised and feel really good about it.”
Roberts said it was Ohtani’s decision not to pitch in the tournament, but the Dodgers would have allowed him to do so if he wanted.
Ohtani previously said he was uncertain about pitching in the WBC.
“In terms of the World Baseball Classic, I just have to see how my body feels and see what happens,” Ohtani said at DodgerFest Saturday.
Now based on Roberts’ comments, it appears Ohtani will solely serve as Team Japan’s designated hitter in March.
What Other Dodgers Players Will Participate in WBC?
Yoshinobu Yamamoto is set to represent Team Japan in March. His status for the WBC was under question for much of the offseason, especially given the extended season the Dodgers had.
Will Smith and Clayton Kershaw will also feature in the tournament as members of Team USA. Despite retiring at the conclusion of the 2025 season, Kershaw will once more take the mound to represent his home country.
When the future Hall of Famer received a call from Team USA manager Mark DeRosa, Kershaw thought he was going to receive a coaching opportunity with the squad.
There are several Dodgers players who won’t be participating in the upcoming tournament, including Roki Sasaki, Andy Pages, Freddie Freeman, and Miguel Rojas.
Sasaki and Pages opted to remain with the Dodgers for spring camp in order to put all their focus on preparing for the 2026 season.
As for Freeman’s absence from Team Canada, the first baseman revealed he couldn’t play in the WBC because of a personal situation that required him to remain close to California.
Rojas will miss the WBC for a second consecutive time as issues with insurance prevented the Venezuelan from participating this year. The 37-year-old expressed frustration over the situation.
“I don’t see that happening with the United States, or happening with Japan. And I’m not trying to attack anybody or attack what’s going on … But if I can still play in the big-leagues for the Dodgers, why am I not going to play for my team in Venezuela and represent my country?” he said.
