Padres Lefty Will Compete in the World Baseball Classic as Team Japan Announces Roster

Team Japan has announced its roster for the upcoming World Baseball Classic, and Padres reliever Yuki Matsui was named as one of eight MLB players selected to represent the country.

Matsui becomes the second Padres bullpen arm to lock in a spot for the Classic, joining Mason Miller, who committed on Dec. 18 to play for Team USA. The Padres duo will now compete on rival teams, each chasing a championship.

Matsui earned his place on Team Japan with a solid two-year start to his MLB career in San Diego. Over the past two seasons, he’s posted a 3.86 ERA and a 4.40 FIP while recording 12 holds across 126 innings.

The tournament will run from March 5 to March 17 and is expected to feature more MLB talent than ever. For Team Japan, Matsui will join a star-studded roster that includes Shohei Ohtani; pitchers Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Tomoyuki Sugano and Yusei Kikuchi; infielders Kazumo Okamoto and Munetaka Murakami; and outfielder Seiya Suzuki.

This will not be Matsui’s first appearance in the World Baseball Classic. He represented Japan in 2017 and again during the team’s championship run in 2023. In 2017, he threw 2⅔ scoreless innings with five strikeouts, then added a scoreless outing with one strikeout in 2023.

This year, his workload could increase if the Padres front office is comfortable with it. Matsui is currently listed as the only MLB reliever on the roster and one of the staff’s few left-handers, positioning him as a potentially key piece in manager Hirokazu Ibata’s bullpen strategy.

There will still be some form of innings limit, however, as the Padres have a significant investment in the Japanese left-hander. Matsui is under contract in San Diego for three more seasons and is owed nearly $20 million over that span. While the Padres’ bullpen depth can survive a short-term absence, an injury would still have payroll implications.

Matsui is expected to join Team Japan by March 2, when the squad opens a series of exhibition games in Osaka ahead of the tournament. Japan will be grouped with Australia, Chinese Taipei, Czechia and South Korea.

The ladder could also feature new Padres teammate Sung-Mun Song, though the utility man’s status remains uncertain due to an oblique injury suffered during batting practice earlier this offseason.

Regardless, Padres fans will be rooting for Matsui as he represents his country on the international stage. While stars like Ohtani and Yamamoto will draw most of the attention, the World Baseball Classic has a way of creating unexpected heroes.