Will Smith (United States), Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto (Japan), Edwin Díaz (Puerto Rico) and Hyeseong Kim (Korea) are currently away from the Los Angeles Dodgers as they represent their respective countries in the 2026 World Baseball Classic.
The team was initially expected to have more representatives in this year’s WBC, but a few players backed out for various reasons. Freddie Freeman simply decided not to participate, Miguel Rojas was declined for insurance, and Kiké Hernández is recovering from left elbow surgery.
Tyler Glasnow is another Dodgers player who could have participated in the 2026 WBC, but he made it clear early on that his focus was on preparing for the regular season, via Jack Harris of the California Post:
Thus, as he told the California Post recently, Glasnow expressed to Team USA officials early in the WBC selection process that his preference this spring was to stay in Dodgers camp.
Glasnow is hoping to build on a strong finish to the 2025 season and credits his success to a collaborative effort with the Dodgers coaching staff:
He wanted to build on the progress he made at the end of last year. And he wanted to lean into the trust he had built with the team.
“I have so much trust in them, to where I don’t feel like I have to do everything on my own,” Glasnow said. “Now, it’s just like, ‘What do you guys got?’ And then I go out and just do whatever they tell me. It’s not as much tinkering. I can rely on them.”
Glasnow was limited to just 90.1 innings last season, primarily due to right shoulder inflammation that sidelined him for more than two months. That came after the 32-year-old’s first season with the Dodgers was cut short because of a right elbow sprain.
However, Glasnow was able to get healthy down the stretch and made his biggest impact during the postseason. He posted a 1.69 ERA, 1.22 WHIP and 10.5 strikeouts per nine in 21.1 innings pitched across six appearances (three starts).
Dodgers asked Tyler Glasnow to gain weight
Glasnow previously noted that the Dodgers asked him to gain weight during the offseason to help improve his durability. He gained roughly 20 pounds by eating more meals and hopes the changes he made to his diet will lead to improved health this year.
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