Dodgers News: Dave Roberts Announces Ohtani Won’t Pitch in Upcoming WBC

LOS ANGELES, CA—While the Los Angeles Dodgers kick off the 2026 Major League Baseball season with their fans at DodgerFest, we have plenty of updates regarding their star players who will be participating in the upcoming World Baseball Classic in March.

Headlining the international tournament will be two-way superstar and four-time MVP Shohei Ohtani, who will be leading Team Japan to defend their 2023 title.

However, what was left ambiguous after Ohtani announced his return to the WBC was whether he’d step on the mound, unleashing his full power as a two-way player as he did in 2023 as a member of the Los Angeles Angels.

Earlier in the day, Ohtani left that door open for that possibility, stating he’d make a decision at the start of spring training in two weeks and get an idea of how his body feels.

“In terms of the World Baseball Classic, I just have to see how my body feels and see what happens.”

Well, that now appears not to be the case as Dodgers manager Dave Roberts confirmed that Ohtani would not be pitching in the upcoming WBC, and further elaborated that it was Ohtani’s decision.

Ohtani resumed pitching in June after his second right elbow surgery in 2023. He posted a 2.87 ERA over 47 innings, with 62 strikeouts and nine walks. He also made his postseason pitching debut, finishing with a 2-1 record, a 4.43 ERA, and 28 strikeouts across four starts totaling 20.1 innings.

Despite not pitching in the WBC, Ohtani did confirm that he’d start the season out on the mound, giving Los Angeles their first full season with him as a two-way player and joining a deep Dodgers starting rotation that could be missing left-hander Blake Snell on Opening Day.

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