Shohei Ohtani, Roki Sasaki and Yoshinobu Yamamoto won the World Series together with the Los Angeles Dodgers in the 2025 MLB season. Can they win on a bigger stage as a trio again in 2026, when the next edition of the World Baseball Classic rolls around?
Ohtani has already announced that he will be suiting up for Team Japan in the 2026 WBC, which is a big development for the squad. At the same time, it's unsurprising, considering that Ohtani is undeniably the face of Japanese baseball and whose appeal transcends beyond just his country and the Major League Baseball.
It's different stories for Yamamoto and Sasaki, however.
While Yamamoto is expected to play for Team Japan in the 2026 WBC, Sasaki is not, according to Yahoo News Topic (h/t international baseball writer Shawn Spradling.)
“Yoshinobu Yamamoto will play in the 2026 World Baseball Classic, per @YahooNewsTopics,” Spradling wrote in a post on X, formerly Twitter.
In a separate social media post, Spradling shared the following regarding Sasaki's WBC status: “Roki Sasaki will not play in the 2026 World Baseball Classic, per @YahooNewsTopics.”‘
There are concerns about big league players playing in the WBC, particularly because of the added workload and injury risks, but at least for Ohtani and Yamamoto, they will be there for Team Japan.
Sasaki, on the other hand, may have a trickier situation, given that he spent over four months in his rookie season in the big leagues on the injured list because of a right shoulder impingement before showing out as a reliever for the Dodgers in the postseason.
The triumvirate of Ohtani, Sasaki and Yamamoto played a huge role in the Dodgers winning the 2025 Fall Classic, as each got their shining moments throughout the postseason and in the World Series against the Toronto Blue Jays.
