ORLANDO, Fla. -- When two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani announced his intent to play for Samurai Japan in the 2026 World Baseball Classic, he did not specify whether he will hit and pitch, as he did in the '23 edition of the tournament.

No official decision has been made on the extent of Ohtani's WBC participation, but Dodgers manager Dave Roberts let his preference be known while speaking at the Winter Meetings on Monday.

"I'm hoping he doesn't. But I don't know," Roberts said. "He's very in tune with his body. But I would say probably the thought is he's probably just going to hit."

Ohtani's countrymen on the Dodgers, Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Roki Sasaki , should also be candidates to represent Japan, which begins play in Pool C of the 2026 Classic on March 6 at Tokyo Dome. The tw

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