Dave Roberts has several Los Angeles Dodgers players participating in the 2026 World Baseball Classic, and one of the first expected to return soon is Yoshinobu Yamamoto, who could head back to the club shortly after Japan finishes its upcoming game against Venezuela.
Underdog MLB shared comments from the Dodgers manager on X: “Roberts: Yoshinobu Yamamoto will return to Dodgers following quarterfinal WBC start,” giving fans some reassurance about one of the team’s strongest arms.
So far, Yamamoto has appeared in only one game for Japan, throwing just 2.2 innings, a workload that should not concern Roberts or any member of the Dodgers’ coaching staff. His outing in the WBC was fairly clean, recording three walks and two strikeouts against Chinese Taipei.
How many Dodgers players are playing in the WBC?
In total, five Dodgers players are participating in the 2026 World Baseball Classic. Some might even say six if former Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw is included, though he was recently replaced on Team USA’s roster by a younger arm.
Two of those players are Japanese, Yamamoto and Shohei Ohtani. It is still unclear when Ohtani could return to the Dodgers’ camp. It’s also worth remembering that in the 2023 WBC he played all the way through the final, when Japan defeated Team USA in one of the most highly anticipated games of the tournament.
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Team USA heads to WBC QF vs Canada without Skubal, Wacha, Yarbrough
The Dodgers’ rotation looks strong for the upcoming 2026 MLB season with Yamamoto and Ohtani in the mix. And if either of them were to get injured during the WBC, the team is well protected with other arms, knowing they have plenty of options to turn to if necessary.
