Samurai Japan manager Hirokazu Ibata officially unveiled 11 more players for the 2026 World Baseball Classic on Friday.
Japan’s skipper maned right-handed pitchers Tomoyuki Sugano (Free Agent) and Yuki Matsumoto (Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks), catchers Seishiro Sakamoto (Hanshin Tigers) and Kenya Wakatsuki (Orix Buffaloes), infielders Shugo Maki (Yokohama DeNA BayStars), Teruaki Sato (Hanshin Tigers), and Sosuke Genda (Saitama Seibu Lions), outfielders Shota Morishita (Hanshin Tigers), Ukyo Shuto (Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks), and Kensuke Kondoh (Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks), along with utilityman Taisei Makihara (Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks) to the roster on Thursday.
Maki, Genda, Shuto, Kondoh, and Makihara are all returnees from the 2023 WBC team. With eight players already announced in December, Japan has now filled 19 of its 30 roster spots.
Sugano is coming off his MLB debut season with the Baltimore Orioles, where he made 30 starts and posted a 4.64 ERA. The former Yomiuri Giants ace enters the tournament as a free agent and the oldest player on the roster at 36. Matsumoto, 29, was a big part of SoftBank’s championship-winning bullpen last year – alongside Kazuki Sugiyama and Kouya Fujii – and dominated with a 1.07 ERA and 29.8% strikeout rate across 51 appearances.
Behind the plate, Sakamoto, 32, and Wakatsuki, 30, represent a changing of the guard after Japan leaned on Takuya Kai, Yuhei Nakamura, and Takumi Ohshiro in the 2023 WBC. Sakamoto enjoyed a career year in 2025, posting a .357 on-base percentage and being named the SIS Fielding Bible Award winner at catcher. Wakatsuki was among the most productive offensive backstops in Nippon Professional Baseball with a 112 OPS+. Shogo Sakakura handled the primary catching duties at the 2024 Premier12 and was named to the All-World Team. He remains a strong candidate to be added as a third catcher, with Yuudai Yamamoto and Yukinori Kishida also prime options.
Maki, Sato, Morishita, and Kondoh are NPB superstars and were essentially locks to make the roster. Maki, 27, owns a career .854 OPS across five seasons and will be penciled in as Japan’s starting second baseman. Sato, 26, captured the 2025 Central League MVP after setting a career high with 40 home runs and 186 OPS+ across 139 games, leading NPB with 7.0 WAR.
Sato’s teammate Morishita, 25, is a rising star in his own right, finishing second among qualifiers behind Sato with a 153 OPS+ while clubbing 23 home runs. Kondoh, meanwhile, is arguably the best all-around player in the world not on an MLB team, as the 32-year-old has maintained an on-base percentage above .400 in 10 of his last 11 seasons. He earned Pacific League MVP honors in 2024
Kondoh’s teammates Shuto, 29, and Makihara, 33, played key roles off the bench as defense and speed specialists for the Samurai in 2023, most memorably when Shuto pinch-ran for Masataka Yoshida in the ninth inning of the semifinal against Mexico and dashed home to score the game-winning run.
Perhaps the most surprising call-up is the 32-year-old Genda, who started at shortstop in 2023 and remains one of NPB’s premier fielders, but is on the decline and endured the worst offensive season of his career in 2025. He was also involved in an off-field scandal following the 2024 Premier12 that damaged his reputation. Whether he is viewed as a primary starter once again or more of a defensive-oriented experienced backup remains unclear, but the selection suggests Ibata does not place full confidence in alternatives such as Yuta Izuguchi, Kotaro Kurebayashi, Isami Nomura, or Kaito Kozono to be “the guy” at the position.
With the newest inclusions, Samurai Japan’s confirmed roster is below.
Samurai Japan Confirmed Roster for 2026 World Baseball Classic
TWP – Shohei Ohtani (Los Angeles Dodgers)
RHP – Tomoyuki Sugano (Free Agent)
RHP – Hiromi Itoh (Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters)
RHP – Atsuki Taneichi (Chiba Lotte Marines)
RHP – Kaima Taira (Saitama Seibu Lions)
RHP – Yuki Matsumoto (Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks)
RHP – Daichi Ishii (Hanshin Tigers)
RHP – Taisei (Yomiuri Giants)
LHP – Yusei Kikuchi (Los Angeles Angels)
LHP – Yuki Matsui (San Diego Padres)
C – Seishiro Sakamoto (Hanshin Tigers)
C – Kenya Wakatsuki (Orix Buffaloes)
2B – Shugo Maki (Yokohama DeNA BayStars)
3B – Teruaki Sato (Hanshin Tigers)
SS – Sosuke Genda (Saitama Seibu Lions)
OF – Shota Morishita (Hanshin Tigers)
OF – Ukyo Shuto (Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks)
OF – Kensuke Kondoh (Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks)
UTL – Taisei Makihara (Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks)
Photo: Kensuke Kondoh is returning to play fo Samurai Japan at the 2026 World Baseball Classic. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)