The Los Angeles Dodgers get to enjoy more of a normal Spring Training this year after having a truncated schedule the past two seasons because of playing an opening series internationally.
However, there still is going to be some interruption with the 2026 World Baseball Classic. For the past several weeks the only Dodgers confirmed to be participating in this year’s tournament were Will Smith and Shohei Ohtani.
Clayton Kershaw recently was added to the Team USA roster but he otherwise is remaining retired. Meanwhile, the likes of Teoscar Hernández, Freddie Freeman, Mookie Betts and Andy Pages passed on playing in the 2026 WBC for various reasons.
And what was considered likely with Yoshinobu Yamamoto has now been confirmed.
According to Dylan Hernández of the California Post, Yamamoto has joined Ohtani among the eight MLB players to make the Team Japan roster.
A record 8 MLB players are on Samurai Japan’s WBC roster: Shohei Ohtani, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Yuki Matsui, Yusei Kikuchi, Tomoyuki Sugano, Kazuma Okamoto, Munetaka Murakami, Seiya Suzuki.
With the Samurai Japan roster now finalized, it also confirms Roki Sasaki won’t be joining his fellow countrymen this year. That was widely considered the expected outcome considering the rough rookie season Sasaki had, which included missing an extended period due to a right shoulder injury.
When discussing the possibility of his three Japanese players being included on the Team Japan roster, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said earlier in the offseason that the organization supports their desire to participate but conceded there was some level of concern with the added pitching.
Roberts followed those comments up with expressing hope that Ohtani would only serve as a designated hitter in the WBC. The full extent of Ohtani’s role and workload has not yet been decided.
Dodgers pitchers and catchers are scheduled to hold their first Spring Training workout on Friday, Feb. 13. However, pitchers and catchers who are participating in this year’s World Baseball Classic must report to their respective team camps no later than Wednesday, Feb. 11.
WBC position players are due no later than Feb. 12.
Yoshinobu Yamamoto’s WBC stats
When Yamamoto was on the Samurai Japan roster that won the gold medal in the 2023 World Baseball Classic, he pitched four shutout innings with eight strikeouts against Team Australia in his first start.
Yamamoto next pitched in relief of Sasaki against Team Mexico and got through three scoreless innings before running into some trouble. Yamamto allowed Mexico to take the lead during his appearance but avoided the loss thanks to a walk-off hit from Munetaka Murakami.
Yamamoto finished the World Baseball Classic with a 2.45 ERA, 0.82 WHIP and 12 strikeouts over 7.1 innings pitched.
Team Japan is in Pool C for the 2026 World Baseball Classic, which will play first-round games at the Tokyo Dome from March 5-10. Also in Pool C are Australia, Chinese Taipei and Korea.
Kaden Elliss checks all the boxes the Vikings need: a versatile linebacker who can rush the passer, cover in space, and stay reliable across multiple roles. His addition to the linebacker corps would immediately elevate Minnesota’s defense in the short and long term
The Minnesota Vikings are facing some big decisions in the offseason about who to retain in free agency and which departing players can be replaced in the draft.
Minnesota’s two big-name players who are hitting free agency are wide receiver Jalen Nailor and linebacker Eric Wilson. The most debated player is Wilson, given everything he can do on defense and special teams, but will he be worth the price to keep after his stellar season?
PFF’s Bradley Locker recently went through all 32 NFL teams and identified which free agent each team should go after. For the Vikings, Locker thinks they should go for Atlanta Falcons linebacker Kaden Elliss.
“Although there may not be a tremendous amount of roster turnover, the Vikings face a crucial offseason.
General manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah will hope to yield hits after largely missing on some big swings with 2025 free agents, and he could turn his attention to the team’s linebacking corps.
Elliss was a quiet standout for Atlanta for the last three years with a 75.5 overall PFF grade and 140 total stops. The defensive chess piece is particularly effective at rushing the passer, with his 84.8 PFF pass-rushing grade the third-best among qualifying linebackers since 2022.
Elliss’ ability to get after the quarterback but also remain effective elsewhere could have high appeal to Brian Flores, especially with Eric Wilson no longer under contract.”
Atlanta Falcons LB Kaden Elliss could easily replace Eric Wilson for the Minnesota Vikings
Elliss has been a steady performer in the NFL, reliable for the Falcons over the last three years after his four-year stint with the New Orleans Saints. Every year he was in Atlanta, Elliss racked up at least 100 tackles and 3.5 sacks.
Just last year, Elliss had 107 tackles, 10 tackles for loss, 10 quarterback hits, six pass deflections, 3.5 sacks, one forced fumble, and one interception in 17 tackles. While he has never been selected to the Pro Bowl, Elliss has consistently proven himself worthy of starting.
The last contract Elliss signed with the Atlanta Falcons was a three-year, $21 million contract back in 2023, so he could either be looking for similar money or slightly more.
At 30, he is starting to get up there in age, so it would be hard to justify paying him more than $8 million per year. But putting him in a Brian Flores defense where he can flourish might be enough to convince him to go for it.
Wilson is a great talent and does his job well, but Elliss can do the same thing and is one year younger, so it might be worth it for the Vikings to give Elliss a contract and let Wilson walk in free agency.