Although the Los Angeles Dodgers will have a more traditional Spring Training in 2026 due to not beginning the regular season internationally, it is going to include some of their players participating in the World Baseball Classic.
At present, only Shohei Ohtani is officially confirmed to play in the international tournament. Ohtani committed to Team Japan through a public announcement on Instagram in late November.
The general consensus is he would be accompanied on the Samurai Japan roster by Dodgers teammates Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Roki Sasaki.
While there has yet to be confirmation of such, Sasaki is on the preliminary roster and should be part of Team Japan for the 2026 WBC, according to Francys Romero:
Roki Sasaki is on Japan’s preliminary roster for the World Baseball Classic.
The 24-year-old pitcher is expected to have no issues making the final roster, per source.
— Francys Romero (@francysromeroFR) December 8, 2025
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts recently noted the organization would support its players in the WBC even if their preference was that they pass on participation. It was reported the Dodgers could have intervened to prevent Sasaki from representing his home country due to spending a significant amount of time on the 60-day injured list during the 2025 season.
Of course, doing so likely would’ve been met with backlash from Japan, where the Dodgers have made significant inroads in becoming the country’s de facto MLB team of choice, and also potentially soured the relationship with Sasaki.
With the expectation that Sasaki is going to be part of Team Japan, it will represent the first look at his return to a starting pitching role.
Roki Sasaki’s WBC career
Like Ohtani and Yamamoto, Sasaki was with the Japanese baseball team when they won the gold medal in the 2023 World Baseball Classic. The young right-hander went 1-0 with a 3.52 ERA and 11 strikeouts over 7.2 innings pitched.
Sasaki’s electrifying fastball making its way to such a large stage further fueled the interest that came upon getting posted to sign with an MLB team before the start of the 2025 season.
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