Shohei Ohtani is among the Los Angeles Dodgers participating in the 2026 World Baseball Classic as he will represent Samurai Japan alongside Yoshinobu Yamamoto.
Ohtani flashed his two-way abilities in the 2023 WBC, but will only serve as Team Japan’s designated hitter this year.
“Well, he’s not going to pitch in the WBC, but he will be ramping up his arm to get ready for this season,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts revealed at the annual DodgerFest.
“And I think for me, I don’t know how many innings he threw last year, but obviously, with the full offseason going north of what he did last year.”
Ohtani made the decision on his own to not to pitch for Team Japan, but the Dodgers would have supported him either way.
“I wasn’t surprised, so I can’t even say I was relieved,” Roberts said. “I think that he is understanding of what he did last year, what he had to go through, to then how best to prepare himself for ’26 to do both. It just seemed like the right decision. So I wasn’t surprised. And I feel really good about it.”
Ohtani returned to the mound last season after not pitching at all in 2024 while recovering from right elbow surgery.
The Dodgers took a methodical approach to building up Ohtani and fully stretched him out by the playoffs. He wound up logging 67.1 innings between the regular season and postseason.
Ohtani is expected to be part of a six-man rotation this season that should continue to give him extra rest in between starts.
“Honestly, I don’t think that I’m going to manage him any differently as far as each outing,” Roberts said. “I think there’s certainly going to be extra time. It’s not a five-day, six-day rotation, so there’s going to be rest in between.
“But I think outside of that, it’s not going to be the two-inning, three-inning governor. I think he’s going to be used as a normal pitcher.”
Shohei Ohtani focused on 2026 season with Dodgers
Ohtani said he could have pitched in the WBC but would rather play things safe and focus on the 2026 season.
“In terms of the regular season, yes, but in terms of the World Baseball Classic, I just have to see how my body feels, continue to just feel the progression, and see what happens,” Ohtani said through interpreter Will Ireton.
“But I’m going to be fully prepared as a DH.”
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