Shohei Ohtani Won't Pitch in WBC As He Eyes Return to Full-Time Two-Way Duties

Ohtani is poised to be a full-time two-way player for the Dodgers for the first time in three years.

Ohtani helped Team Japan win the 2023 World Baseball Classic. | Rhona Wise-Imagn Images

Shohei Ohtani won't pitch for Team Japan in the World Baseball Classic, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts told reporters during DodgerFest on Saturday.

“I wasn’t surprised. I can’t even say I was relieved," Roberts said. "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.”

While Roberts said the decision was made by Ohtani himself, he added that the club would have supported him had he decided to take the mound for Team Japan in March's World Baseball Classic. Ohtani will instead serve as the designated hitter for Team Japan and attempt to help the club defend its title from 2023, a memorable tournament that saw Ohtani come out of the bullpen in the ninth inning of the championship to face then-teammate Mike Trout, whom he struck out to capture the title.

Ohtani set to be full-time two-way player for first time in three years

Ohtani took the mound in regular season action for the first time as a member of the Dodgers this past season, as the four-time MVP had a long road back from September 2023 elbow surgery, which kept him off the mound until June of 2025.

As such, the Dodgers were careful with Ohtani, limiting him to under 50 innings pitched in the regular season while slowly ramping up his workload until he was stretched out as a starter come the postseason.

Shohei Ohtani on the importance of a healthy offseason and what representing Team Japan in the WBC means to him 🇯🇵⚾️ pic.twitter.com/9fYIL363IC

— SportsNet LA (@SportsNetLA) January 31, 2026

But Ohtani—as he pointed out—is entering the 2026 season in good health, and his decision to not pitch in the WBC, as well as Roberts's plan for the superstar, signals a return to being a full-time two-way player. Roberts indicated that Ohtani's innings pitched tally will be “north” of the 47 frames he worked this past season.

“Honestly, I don't think that I'm going to manage him [Ohtani] any differently as far as each outing. I think there’s certainly going to be extra time," Roberts said. "It’s not a five-day, six-day rotation. There’s going to be rest in between, but outside of that, it’s not going to be the two-inning, three-inning governor. I think he’s going to be used as a normal pitcher.”

Ohtani finished fourth in the American League Cy Young Award race in 2022 and went on to collect an MLB-leading 19.7 Wins Above Replacement over the course of the 2022 and 2023 seasons as a full-time hitter and pitcher.

Ohtani has won back-to-back National League MVP Awards and World Series championships in his first two seasons with the Dodgers.

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