Dodgers manager Dave Roberts prefers limited role for Ohtani, Yamamoto and sasaki with Japan in World Baseball classic

ORLANDO, florida — Recognizing that the stakes for Shohei Ohtani, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, and Roki Sasaki in the World Baseball Classic are “very delicate” after a World Series that extended until november, the manager of the Los Angeles Dodgers, Dave Roberts, said he wasn’t sure if there would be limitations placed on the Japanese stars of his team.

Ohtani underwent elbow surgery in September 2023 and returned to the mound in June. The two-way sensation helped the Dodgers become the first team to win the World Series twice in a row in a quarter century, starting in the Game 7 victory against the Toronto Blue Jays.

“I’d like to think there will be a dialog about the restrictions and limitations, in the sense of trying to give them the chance,” Roberts said Monday at baseball’s winter meetings. “They are coming from long seasons, and certainly with Yamamoto, we have to think about 2026. But right now there is no more clarity than before.”

Ohtani won his fourth unanimous Most Valuable Player award, batting .282 with 55 home runs, 102 RBIs and 20 stolen bases, while also excelling as a pitcher.