Yoshinobu Yamamoto confirmed to represent Japan in the WBC, while Roki Sasaki was denied release by the Dodgers due to injury concerns.

While nations are assembling squads for the 2026 sixth World Baseball Classic (WBC), Japanese media revealed that Dodgers’ Japanese star pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto will represent Japan’s “Samurai” team. However, another Japanese pitcher, Roki Sasaki, was not released by his club due to concerns over his injury history, which made participation too risky.

Dodgers’ two-way star Shohei Ohtani had already expressed his willingness to participate in the WBC via social media. He posted a photo from the 2023 fifth Classic and wrote in English: “Thank you to all the fans for another amazing season. I will train hard and look forward to seeing you all again next year.”

Yamamoto, who delivered a legendary performance pitching on “zero rest days” during the 2025 World Series, is confirmed to represent Japan’s Samurai team for a second consecutive WBC. Although manager Dave Roberts previously emphasized caution with Yamamoto’s workload over the full season, the Dodgers respected Yamamoto’s desire to play since he is currently injury-free and ultimately approved his participation.

The Dodgers and Japan’s Samurai team will later coordinate on Yamamoto’s usage and pitch count limits in the WBC. Japan’s manager Hirokazu Ibata revealed that both Shohei Ohtani and Yamamoto are expected to join the team in Japan. These two key players, who helped the Dodgers win back-to-back World Series titles, will unite to help Japan defend its WBC championship.

Meanwhile, it was reported that Dodgers president Andrew Friedman met with manager Ibata during the winter meetings. The Dodgers reportedly informed Japan that Roki Sasaki would not be released for the tournament. Friedman commented, “The discussion went smoothly, and both sides agreed to continue communicating openly and respectfully.”

Reviewing Sasaki’s injury history, he was placed on the injured list in May 2025 due to a right shoulder issue and had multiple injuries while playing for the Chiba Lotte Marines in Japan’s professional league. The Dodgers believe the risk of re-injury during the WBC is too high and want Sasaki to fully recover starting from 2026 spring training, so they ultimately decided not to release him for the competition.