Last week, manager Hirokazu Ibata announced Samurai Japan’s 29-man roster for the 2026 World Baseball Classic, leaving one spot open to be finalized at a later date.

The vacancy was widely believed to be reserved for a player from Major League Baseball pending confirmation, and that player has now been officially revealed as Boston Red Sox outfielder Masataka Yoshida. 

“Thanks to everybody’s continued support, I’ve been given the opportunity to wear the Samurai Japan jersey once again,” Yoshida wrote on Instagram. “I’ll embrace this responsibility and pride and give it my all out there.” 

Yoshida, 32, is entering the fourth season of his five-year contract with the Boston Red Sox. He battled injuries last year and was limited to 55 games, hitting .266/.307/.388 with four home runs. Overall, Yoshida has been an above-average MLB hitter, posting a 109 OPS+ with an elite 13% strikeout rate over 1,206 career plate appearances, but has drawn criticism for his poor defense and modest power production, fueling frequent trade speculation. 

Before coming stateside, Yoshida was one of the generation’s premier hitters in Nippon Professional Baseball with the Orix Buffaloes from 2016-22, slashing .327/.421/.539 with 133 homers across 762 games. He also delivered one of the most memorable moments of the 2023 World Baseball Classic, launching a clutch, game-tying three-run shot against Mexico in the semifinals. 

With Yoshida’s addition, Japan’s roster now consists of 21 players from NPB and nine from MLB, the most big leaguers the nation has ever brought to a WBC tournament. Yoshida joins a crowded outfield mix that includes Seiya Suzuki, Shota Morishita, Kensuke Kondoh, Ukyo Shuto, and Teruaki Sato. 

Given his defensive limitations (and with Shohei Ohtani firmly cemented as the designated hitter), Yoshida is expected to compete for a starting corner outfield spot alongside Kondoh and Sato. He is expected to open camp with Boston before joining the Samurai in Osaka, along with the other MLB-based players, for exhibition games at the beginning of March. 

With the latest announcement, Samurai Japan’s full 30-man roster is below. 

Samurai Japan 2026 World Baseball Classic Roster

TWP – Shohei Ohtani (Los Angeles Dodgers)
RHP – Yoshinobu Yamamoto (Los Angeles Dodgers)
RHP – Tomoyuki Sugano (Free Agent)
RHP – Hiromi Itoh (Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters)
RHP – Koki Kitayama (Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters)
RHP – Atsuki Taneichi (Chiba Lotte Marines)
RHP – Hiroto Takahashi (Chunichi Dragons)
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)
LHP – Hiroya Miyagi (Orix Buffaloes)
LHP – Ryuhei Sotani (Orix Buffaloes)
C – Seishiro Sakamoto (Hanshin Tigers)
C – Kenya Wakatsuki (Orix Buffaloes)
C – Yuhei Nakamura (Tokyo Yakult Swallows)
1B – Munetaka Murakami (Chicago White Sox)
2B – Shugo Maki (Yokohama DeNA BayStars)
3B – Kazuma Okamoto (Toronto Blue Jays)
3B – Teruaki Sato (Hanshin Tigers)
SS – Kaito Kozono (Hiroshima Toyo Carp)
SS – Sosuke Genda (Saitama Seibu Lions)
OF – Masataka Yoshida (Boston Red Sox)
OF – Seiya Suzuki (Chicago Cubs)
OF – Shota Morishita (Hanshin Tigers)
OF – Ukyo Shuto (Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks)
OF – Kensuke Kondoh (Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks)
UTL – Taisei Makihara (Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks) 

Photo: Masataka Yoshida #7 of the Boston Red Sox looks on during a team Spring Training workout at JetBlue Park at Fenway South on February 20, 2024 in Fort Myers, Florida. (Photo by Maddie Malhotra/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images)