Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto are set to represent Samurai Japan in the 2026 World Baseball Classic, but they won’t be joined by Los Angeles Dodgers teammate Roki Sasaki this time around.

Sasaki pitched for Team Japan in the 2023 iteration of the WBC, but that was before he made the jump to MLB from Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB).

Although Sasaki may have wanted to pitch this time around as well, the decision was out of his hands. Due to the amount of time Sasaki spent on the injured list last season, the Dodgers had the final say on whether Sasaki would be allowed to compete in the tournament.

“I didn’t have a conversation, per se, with the team,” Sasaki said through his interpreter at DodgerFest. “It was really up to the team. You know, it was really the team that decided. But for me, my mentality is it’s going to be a lot of competition to earn the spot in the rotation, so that’s my mindset going into Spring Training.”

Sasaki was originally on the preliminary roster for Team Japan, and he was expected to make the team had the Dodgers not prevented him from pitching.

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts previously said the Dodgers would support their players who wished to play in the WBC, but this decision would come from the front office.

Sasaki was limited to just 36.1 innings in his rookie season with the Dodgers over 10 games. He landed on the 15-day IL on May 13 due to a right shoulder impingement, and he was transferred to the 60-day IL on June 20.

The 24-year-old did not return to the Majors until Sept. 24 after a lengthy rehab assignment in the Minor Leagues. When the Dodgers brought him back, they also used him as a reliever rather than in the starting role he was accustomed to.

That move worked out for both sides as Sasaki became the Dodgers’ highest-leverage reliever in the postseason and helped them win the 2025 World Series.

Roki Sasaki working hard to contribute more

After posting a 4.72 ERA and 1.49 WHIP in eight starts, Sasaki said he is working hard to become more of a regular contributor this upcoming season.

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