Dave Roberts Makes Firm Plea for 2028 Olympics Baseball

Jan 21, 2026; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts (30) answers questions during a news conference at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images | Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

Dave Roberts is entering his 11th season as Los Angeles Dodgers manager and starting a record-setting contract extension he signed last March.

The Dodgers again are the World Series favorite, this time looking to become MLB's first three-peat champion since the New York Yankees from 1998-2000. As it is, the Dodgers already are the sport's first back-to-back World Series winner since those aforementioned Yankees.

For all that Roberts has accomplished in his managerial career, there's an upcoming opportunity he's yet to check off and is beginning to campaign for.

During an interview with Dylan Hernández of the California Post, Roberts made it clear he would like to be manager of Team USA when the 2028 Summer Olympics come to Los Angeles.

“I want to manage the Olympic team,” Roberts told the California Post. “That’s what I want to do. In L.A., I want to manage that team.”

Roberts went on to declare himself a "no-brainer" to manage the United States baseball team and added, “No one’s more relevant to do that than me.”

Mark DeRosa managed Team USA in the 2023 World Baseball Classic and is doing so again this year.

Further reason for Roberts to be selected as Team USA manager is Olympic baseball games in 2028 are going to be played at Dodger Stadium.

The upcoming summer games is going to mark just the seventh time baseball is included with the Olympics as an official sport. The most recent instance came with the 2020 Olympics that were postponed to 2021 because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Are MLB players going to be in 2028 Olympics?

While Roberts would like to be part of the Los Angeles Olympics, what's not yet clear is if the Team USA roster will feature MLB players.

Shohei Ohtani and Bryce Harper are among those who have expressed a desire to play in the Summer Olympics.

MLB, the Players Association and LA28 need to reach an agreement in order for that to become a reality. What could aid matters is the 2028 Summer Olympic baseball games are scheduled to be played from July 13-19.

That does overlap with some of the period when MLB holds their All-Star festivities, potentially making it easier for the league to pause or adjust team schedules to reduce the impact of not having players available at the time.

"The way we're thinking about it is it would be an extension of the All-Star break," Manfred said during an interview on ESPN Radio before Game 3 of the World Series last year.

One month later, LA28, the organizing committee for the 2028 Olympics, announced baseball games had been rescheduled to start July 13. The adjustment seemingly was an olive branch toward reaching an agreement with MLB and the union to secure player participation.