Dodgers News: Yoshinobu Yamamoto Set to Play in WBC; Teoscar Hernández & Roki Sasaki Will Not
The World Series MVP will play for Team Japan in the 2026 WBC
LOS ANGELES, CA—While the 2026 Major League Baseball season moves along with the conclusion of the annual Winter Meetings earlier this week, in less than 100 days, it’ll be the start of the 2026 World Baseball Classic.
That said, multiple players across the league have publicly stated their intentions to participate in the international tournament, including fellow Los Angeles Dodgers players Shohei Ohtani and Will Smith.
Team Japan is prepared to defend its title in the 2026 World Baseball Classic, with their rotation including the reigning World Series MVP and Dodgers’ pitching ace.
Yoshinobu Yamamoto will team up with Shohei Ohtani, becoming the second Dodger to confirm his participation in the World Baseball Classic, according to Yahoo! Japan. Yamamoto gained recognition during the 2023 tournament, where he appeared in two games and had one start. He pitched 7 1/3 innings, gave up two runs on four hits, struck out 12 batters—the most on his team—walked four, and held opponents to a .160 batting average.
Despite being announced on the Team Japan preliminary roster last week, second-year Dodgers right-handed pitcher Roki Sasaki will not participate in the WBC with the fear of injury listed as the cause after Sasaki missed more than half of his rookie season with a shoulder issue.
Another Dodgers player interested in participating in the WBC was outfielder Teoscar Hernández, but he also will not be taking part this spring.
For the Dodgers, it might be even more challenging following back-to-back deep playoff runs and two international series that further cut into their offseason.
Hernández considered this and chose not to join Team Dominican Republic at the WBC to give his body more rest and focus on the season, he told Moises Fabian in an interview.
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