Manager Dave Roberts of the Los Angeles Dodgers speaks to the media during the annual DodgerFest at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles on Saturday, January 31, 2026. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Pasadena Star-News/ SCNG) Shohei Ohtani, right, of the Los Angeles Dodgers with the help of his interpreter Will Ireton speaks to the media during the annual DodgerFest at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles on Saturday, January 31, 2026. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Pasadena Star-News/ SCNG) Shohei Ohtani #17 of the Los Angeles Dodgers smiles during a stage show during the annual DodgerFest at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles on Saturday, January 31, 2026. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Pasadena Star-News/ SCNG) Freddie Freeman #5 of the Los Angeles Dodgers laughs during a stage show during the annual DodgerFest at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles on Saturday, January 31, 2026. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Pasadena Star-News/ SCNG) Roki Sasaki #11 of the Los Angeles Dodgers smiles during a stage show during the annual DodgerFest at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles on Saturday, January 31, 2026. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Pasadena Star-News/ SCNG) Freddie Freeman #5 of the Los Angeles Dodgers shows off his repaired foot with commentator Stephen Nelson during a stage show during the annual DodgerFest at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles on Saturday, January 31, 2026. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Pasadena Star-News/ SCNG) Shohei Ohtani, left, speaks as interpreter Will Ireton, pitcher Roki Sasaki of the Los Angeles Dodgers along with announcer Joe Davis look on during a stage show during the annual DodgerFest at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles on Saturday, January 31, 2026. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Pasadena Star-News/ SCNG) Commentator Stephen Nelson, left, reacts along with Will Smith, Max Muncy, Mookie Betts and commentator Joe Davis, right, during the annual DodgerFest at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles on Saturday, January 31, 2026. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Pasadena Star-News/ SCNG) Will Smith, left, along with Max Muncy, center, listen as Mookie Betts speaks during the annual DodgerFest at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles on Saturday, January 31, 2026. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Pasadena Star-News/ SCNG) Shohei Ohtani, second from left, waves to the crowd as commentator Stephen Nelson, left, speaks as interpreter Will Ireton, pitcher Roki Sasaki of the Los Angeles Dodgers along with announcer Joe Davis look on during a stage show during the annual DodgerFest at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles on Saturday, January 31, 2026. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Pasadena Star-News/ SCNG) Blake Snell #7 of the Los Angeles Dodgers speaks with David Vassegh during the annual DodgerFest at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles on Saturday, January 31, 2026. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Pasadena Star-News/ SCNG) Miguel Rojas, right, of the Los Angeles Dodgers speaks with David Vassegh during the annual DodgerFest at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles on Saturday, January 31, 2026. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Pasadena Star-News/ SCNG) Brusdar Graterol of the Los Angeles Dodgers waits in the shade during the annual DodgerFest at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles on Saturday, January 31, 2026. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Pasadena Star-News/ SCNG) Roki Sasaki of the Los Angeles Dodgers during the annual DodgerFest at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles on Saturday, January 31, 2026. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Pasadena Star-News/ SCNG) Will Smith of the Los Angeles Dodgers smiles during the annual DodgerFest at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles on Saturday, January 31, 2026. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Pasadena Star-News/ SCNG) Hyeseong Kim, right, of the Los Angeles Dodgers with the help of his iinterpreter Dean Kim speaks to the media during the annual DodgerFest at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles on Saturday, January 31, 2026. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Pasadena Star-News/ SCNG) A young Dodger fan sits atop his father during the annual DodgerFest at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles on Saturday, January 31, 2026. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Pasadena Star-News/ SCNG) Bash Bolanos, 12 year-old of Los Angeles pose for a picture during the annual DodgerFest at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles on Saturday, January 31, 2026. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Pasadena Star-News/ SCNG) Victor Arvizu, with his sons Dominique, left, and Victor pose with the 2024 and 2025 Commissioner’s Trophies for winning the World Series during the annual DodgerFest at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles on Saturday, January 31, 2026. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Pasadena Star-News/ SCNG) Dodger fan during the annual DodgerFest at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles on Saturday, January 31, 2026. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Pasadena Star-News/ SCNG) Anthony Banda of the Los Angeles Dodgers signs autographs during the annual DodgerFest at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles on Saturday, January 31, 2026. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Pasadena Star-News/ SCNG) Dodger fans look on during a stage show during the annual DodgerFest at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles on Saturday, January 31, 2026. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Pasadena Star-News/ SCNG) Dodger fan during the annual DodgerFest at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles on Saturday, January 31, 2026. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Pasadena Star-News/ SCNG) A Dodger fan waits in the shade on a hot day underneath the outfield pavillion during the annual DodgerFest at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles on Saturday, January 31, 2026. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Pasadena Star-News/ SCNG) Dodger fan Juantani poses with fans during the annual DodgerFest at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles on Saturday, January 31, 2026. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Pasadena Star-News/ SCNG) A Dodger fan with a giant bat makes his way through the plaza during the annual DodgerFest at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles on Saturday, January 31, 2026. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Pasadena Star-News/ SCNG) A Dodger fan looks toward the field during the annual DodgerFest at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles on Saturday, January 31, 2026. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Pasadena Star-News/ SCNG) Dodger fans wait in the shade on a hot day underneath the outfield pavillion during the annual DodgerFest at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles on Saturday, January 31, 2026. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Pasadena Star-News/ SCNG) Hundreds of Dodger fans make their way during the annual DodgerFest at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles on Saturday, January 31, 2026. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Pasadena Star-News/ SCNG) Dodger fans line up for the Yard Sale where they can purchase Dodger memorabilia during the annual DodgerFest at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles on Saturday, January 31, 2026. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Pasadena Star-News/ SCNG) Will Smith of the Los Angeles Dodgers smiles during the annual DodgerFest at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles on Saturday, January 31, 2026. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Pasadena Star-News/ SCNG) Dodger fans during the annual DodgerFest at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles on Saturday, January 31, 2026. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Pasadena Star-News/ SCNG) Manager Dave Roberts of the Los Angeles Dodgers speaks as Commentator Joe Davis looks on during the annual DodgerFest at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles on Saturday, January 31, 2026. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Pasadena Star-News/ SCNG) Will Smith, left, speaks as Max Muncy and Mookie Betts look on during the annual DodgerFest at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles on Saturday, January 31, 2026. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Pasadena Star-News/ SCNG) Will Smith, left, along with Mookie Betts make their way to the stage during the annual DodgerFest at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles on Saturday, January 31, 2026. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Pasadena Star-News/ SCNG) Shohei Ohtani of the Los Angeles Dodgers speaks to the media during the annual DodgerFest at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles on Saturday, January 31, 2026. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Pasadena Star-News/ SCNG) Max Muncy #13 of the Los Angeles Dodgers with his family during the annual DodgerFest at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles on Saturday, January 31, 2026. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Pasadena Star-News/ SCNG) Freddie Freeman #5 of the Los Angeles Dodgers waves to the crowd during a stage show during the annual DodgerFest at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles on Saturday, January 31, 2026. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Pasadena Star-News/ SCNG) Shohei Ohtani fans wearing a t-shirt with his likeness and his dog Decoy reacts during the annual DodgerFest at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles on Saturday, January 31, 2026. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Pasadena Star-News/ SCNG) Fans look on during the annual DodgerFest at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles on Saturday, January 31, 2026. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Pasadena Star-News/ SCNG) Show Caption1 of 40Manager Dave Roberts of the Los Angeles Dodgers speaks to the media during the annual DodgerFest at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles on Saturday, January 31, 2026. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Pasadena Star-News/ SCNG) Expand
LOS ANGELES – MLB got the signature moment it dreamed of when the 2023 World Baseball Classic ended with Shohei Ohtani striking out Mike Trout to clinch the championship for Team Japan.
They won’t get an encore in the 2026 event – at least not with Ohtani on the mound.
“He’s not going to pitch in the WBC,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said Saturday at the team’s annual DodgerFest event. “But he will be ramping up his arm to get ready for this season. I don’t know how many innings he threw last year (47 in the regular season, 20⅓ in the postseason), but obviously, with the full offseason, going north of what he did last year.”
Ohtani was less forthright when he was asked about the WBC. He said he would be “fully prepared” to DH for the defending champion Team Japan, but as far as pitching, “I have to see how my body feels, feel the progression (of his throwing program) and see what happens.”
Roberts said the decision not to pitch “was absolutely his call.”
“I wasn’t surprised. I can’t even say I was relieved,” Roberts said. “He wants to — understanding what he did last year, what he had to go through to then, how best to prepare himself for ’26 to do both – it just seemed like the right decision. So, I wasn’t surprised, and feel really good with that one.”
Given the star power on their roster, the Dodgers will not be represented as much as expected in the WBC. Only four players are confirmed as participating – catcher Will Smith (Team USA), infielder Hyeseong Kim (Korea) and Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto (Japan). Clayton Kershaw, who retired following the 2025 season, is on the roster for Team USA.
Right-hander Roki Sasaki indicated he was interested in playing for Team Japan, but it was a “team decision” that he not participate and instead focus on preparing for his second MLB season. Because Sasaki spent extended time on the injured list with a shoulder injury, the Dodgers were able to prevent him from playing in the WBC.
Freddie Freeman played for Team Canada in the 2017 and 2023 WBC as a way to honor the memory of his mother. But he withdrew his name from the team this year for “personal reasons,” which he declined to specify.
“There’s no health (issue). I feel great. Body feels great,” Freeman said. “I needed to be close to California. That’s all I’ll say. But it’s personal.”
Teoscar Hernandez withdrew his name from consideration for the Dominican Republic’s roster, citing the need for more recovery time after the Dodgers’ late finish in 2025.
Veteran infielder Miguel Rojas was planning to play for Venezuela but had to drop out when he was unable to obtain adequate insurance. The same issue led to the Houston Astros asking Jose Altuve not to play for Venezuela and eight players, including Francisco Lindor and Carlos Correa, were dropped from Puerto Rico’s roster.
“Definitely disappointed,” Rojas said Saturday. “I didn’t know that my chance to go represent my country for the first and only time, probably as a player, was gonna get blocked because of an insurance problem. Even though we know we have to be ready for the season and we have to play and be healthy for our contract, at the end of the day, we didn’t know all those restrictions were gonna be in place the way they are right now.”
Puerto Rico is reportedly considering withdrawing from the tournament after the issues with setting a roster.
“My only question is – why is it just with our (Latin American) countries – like Venezuela, Puerto Rico, a couple Dominican players? I don’t see that happening with the United States or happening with Japan,” Rojas said. “I’m not trying to attack anybody, or attack what’s going on, or seeing what’s happening behind the scenes. But at the end of the day, it feels like it’s just happening with the players that want to represent their country from Latin America. So there’s a lot of things I would like to talk about with someone in control, with someone from MLB. … If I can still play in the big leagues with the Dodgers, why not go to play for my team in Venezuela and represent my country?”
In 2023, insurance issues prevented Kershaw from playing for Team USA.
HEALTH CARE
Tommy Edman said he was able to discard the boot he was wearing following right ankle surgery in November 2½ weeks ago and started “baseball activities” this past week. Edman had ligament repair and bone chips removed after repeatedly injuring the ankle over the past two seasons.
He said being ready for Opening Day is “a possibility” but it seems more likely his recovery will extend into the season.
“I am doing everything I can to be ready for Opening Day. But if it comes around to that time and my ankle is 90 percent, not quite where I need it to be, I’m going to do my best to be patient with it and get it back to 100 percent and not dealing with it for the rest of the year,” he said Saturday.
Reliever Brusdar Graterol had the labrum in his throwing shoulder surgically repaired two weeks after the end of the 2024 World Series and missed all of 2025. He said he has been following a program of long-tossing but expects to start throwing off a mound in the next week. Pitchers and catchers report for spring training on Feb. 12.
Meanwhile, Blake Snell said he is “going to go slower” in his spring buildup after a shoulder injury landed him on the injured list for four months in 2025.
“Last year, I had so much to prove, I got way too excited and was really pushing to get to spring, get through spring,” said Snell, who signed a five-year, $182 million contract with the Dodgers before last season. “This year, I’m going to be a little slower just in how I ramp up. Be a lot more smarter on that.”
Snell said his shoulder “just never felt great, never felt what the normal I’ve felt my whole career.”
He said his shoulder feels stronger after going through a lot of physical therapy this offseason and “the goal is to be ready Opening Day, but I’m going to take my time.”
Roberts said he is fine with that, given the short offseason for all of the Dodgers’ pitchers.
“Whatever is best for Blake — or any of our pitchers, for that matter — we’re gonna do,Roberts said. “If it doesn’t line up with Opening Day, the first series, then it doesn’t. And I’ll say that about all of the pitchers.”
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