FORT MYERS, Florida – Major League Baseball sluggers set to join Japan’s national team for the upcoming World Baseball Classic took batting practice Sunday as their clubs opened spring training camp.
In Glendale, Arizona, Chicago White Sox infielder Munetaka Murakami, who moved from Nippon Professional Baseball’s Yakult Swallows this season, hit a double in three at-bats during a simulated session.
Murakami, Japan’s youngest-ever Triple Crown winner in 2022, mainly played third base for the Swallows, but took fielding drills at both first and third with the White Sox.
Manager Will Venable said the left-handed hitter is likely to see time at first base, considering his expected role with Japan’s national team, known as Samurai Japan.
Boston Red Sox outfielder Masataka Yoshida, who was selected as the designated hitter for Samurai Japan despite undergoing right shoulder surgery in 2024, went through batting drills on his team’s spring training opening day in Fort Myers, Florida.
Toronto Blue Jays infielder Kazuma Okamoto, who transferred from the Tokyo-based Yomiuri Giants at the start of the year, launched six balls over the fence in 34 swings ahead of his club’s formal start to spring training on Monday.
Selected Japanese MLB players, including Los Angeles Dodgers two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani, are expected to join the defending WBC champion national team, which opened its training camp in Miyazaki in southwestern Japan on Saturday.