Overview
- Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said he is hoping Shohei Ohtani will not pitch for Japan at the World Baseball Classic and indicated the expectation is he will serve as a hitter.
- Ohtani has committed to play for Samurai Japan but has not said whether he will take the mound, returning to pitching in June 2025 after elbow surgery and posting a 2.87 ERA over 47 innings.
- General manager Brandon Gomes said the club has not yet discussed WBC participation with Yoshinobu Yamamoto or Roki Sasaki, citing internal talks still to come.
- The Dodgers are weighing limits given Yamamoto’s heavy 2025 workload and Sasaki’s extended absence with a right shoulder impingement during his rookie season.
- Japan manager Hirokazu Ibata asked for Ohtani to join before warm-up games in Osaka on March 2–3, with Japan’s Pool C schedule beginning March 6 at Tokyo Dome, while the Dodgers plan to use Ohtani in the 2026 rotation with extended rest between starts.