Baseball is not only America’s Pastime but one of the more popular international sports across the globe in general. That was evident last week with the 2018 MLB Japan All-Star Series taking place, in which the Los Angeles Dodgers were represented by Kiké Hernandez, Kenta Maeda and Chris Taylor.
The beauty of baseball is also on display during the World Baseball Classic, which consists of players from different countries competing against each other every four years.
Now with the sport making a comeback in the Olympics scene, there has been speculation on whether MLB players will be allowed to participate in the 2020 Tokyo Games and qualifiers.
According to Jon Morosi of MLB.com, the expectation is that only non-40-man roster players will be able to suit up at the consent of their respective clubs:
Olympic baseball news: @MLB expected to allow non-40-man roster players to participate in the 2020 Tokyo Games and qualifiers, which begin in 2019. Club approval is required on a player-by-player basis. @MLBNetwork @WBSC @olympicchannel @Olympics
— Jon Morosi (@jonmorosi) November 7, 2018
Baseball hasn’t been featured in the Olympics since 2008, when the United States took home the Bronze medal at the Summer Beijing games. The roster construction followed a similar format back then, with only up-and-coming talent allowed to participate.
Among those to help the United States capture Bronze honors included Jake Arrieta, Stephen Strasburg and Dexter Fowler — well before each made their respective MLB debut.
Before that, the nation earned Gold medal honors in 2000 and another Bronze medal in 1996.
