Shohei Ohtani he was in the finals of the last World Baseball Classic, striking out his teammates at the time Mike Trout to take the trophy home. The 2026 edition of the event will not feature Ohtani as a pitcher. Dodgers manager Dave Roberts he told reporters, including ESPN’s Alden Gonzalez, that the Japanese hand-hander would not enter the WBC. Roberts added that it was Ohtani’s decision.
Although Roberts said the group “completely” could have worked Ohtani into the tournament if he wanted to (according to Bill Plunkett of the Orange County Register ), recent developments regarding the WBC’s insurance may have made it even more controversial.
Ohtani will still be on Team Japan as the DH. Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic reported that the righty said he would be ready to enter to open the regular season. Ohtani did not pitch at all in 2024 as he recovered from elbow surgery. A shoulder procedure at the end of that season kept him out until June of last year. Ohtani made 14 starts for the Dodgers in 2025. He posted a 2.87 ERA through 47 innings. Ohtani hasn’t been as strong in the playoffs, though he’s thrown six innings in three of his four games, something he did just once during the regular season.
Health is often a key question mark in LA’s rotation, as well Blake Snell he is taking steps to make sure he feels right in 2026. The talented left-hander told reporters, including Ardaya, that he is taking a direct approach to strength this offseason. “Last year, I was in a hurry,” Snell said.I wanted to sing so badly.”
After signing a massive five-year, $182MM contract, Snell went down with a shoulder sprain just two starts into his Dodger tenure. He posted eight walks to just four strikeouts in those two games. “I’ve never felt beautiful, I’ve never felt normal (what it is) I’ve felt all my work,” Snell said. He returned in August and looked like himself, piling up strikeouts and keeping opposing offenses off the board. The lefty held the Reds, Phillies, and Brewers to two earned runs over 21 innings in the playoffs. The Blue Jays scored 10 earned runs over three appearances, but still looked solid in the postline.
Even a slow build, “system” for Snell to be ready for Opening Day, according to MLB.com’s Sonja Chen. If Snell isn’t ready by late March, Roki Sasaki again Emmett Sheehan he can probably fill the penance. The Dodgers are a good bet to rely on more than five starters though, given the injury history and heavy workload of their primary arms. As Ardaya points out, starters combined for 137 1/3 of 165 innings during the 2025 playoff run.
Tommy Edman It’s also going along with the slow pace this offseason. The 30-year-old suspect is recovering after ankle surgery. The procedure included muscle repair and removal of bone spurs, Ardaya noted. Edman said the issues affected him as a running back and as a linebacker who bounced between second and center field. Similar to Snell, his status for Opening Day is uncertain.
“I think it all depends on how the progression goes,” said Edman.I don’t put that as a hard line in the sand. I’m doing everything I can to get ready for Opening Day. But if it comes to that time and my ankle is 90 percent, not where I need it to be, I’m going to do my best to be patient and get it back to 100 percent and not deal with it for a year..”
