While the Los Angeles Dodgers aren’t scheduled to start a new season internationally for the first time since 2023, Spring Training is still going to have a wrinkle because of the 2026 World Baseball Classic.
Like in previous years, the assumption has held Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto would be part of the Team Japan roster for the international tournament. Ohtani recently confirmed his plans to be with Samurai Japan, but there has not yet any clarity on Yamamoto or Roki Sasaki.
According to Dylan Hernández of the L.A. Times, Yamamoto said his status for the WBC has not been decided on but he hopes to participate:
Yoshinobu Yamamoto said nothing is decided but that he would like to pitch in the WBC. https://t.co/fe7yOXD0I4
— Dylan Hernández (@dylanohernandez) December 17, 2025
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts recently acknowledged the team held some reservations over the possibility of Ohtani, Yamamoto and Sasaki playing in the World Baseball Classic next year but noted the organization would be supportive nevertheless.
Roberts also did admit the Dodgers’ preference would be for Ohtani to only serve as a designated hitter for Team Japan and not pitch. It’s not yet clear if that will be the case.
There also was an unconfirmed report that the Dodgers elected to prevent Sasaki from joining Team Japan because he missed a substantial amount of the 2025 season with a right shoulder injury.
Yoshinobu Yamamoto’s workload
Yamamoto managed to remain healthy this past season and made 30 starts en route to earning a first career All-Star Game selection. He then helped lead the Dodgers’ rotation in the postseason and famously pitched in Games 6 and 7 of the World Series.
That presumably is playing a significant part in the Dodgers’ apparent preference for the 27-year-old to skip the international tournament. But it can also be reasoned Yamamoto’s training and durability that allowed for pitching a second consecutive day in the World Series without any rest also suggests he can withstand taking part in the WBC.
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