TOKYO – Boston Red Sox slugger Masataka Yoshida will join defending champion Japan’s roster for the upcoming World Baseball Classic, filling the final spot on Samurai Japan, the national team’s management body said Wednesday.
Attention had focused on the final roster spot after manager Hirokazu Ibata named 29 of a maximum 30 players. The team is headlined by Los Angeles Dodgers two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani.
The 32-year-old left-handed hitter was part of Japan’s title-winning squad at the previous WBC in 2023.
A record nine MLB-based players were selected, including Dodgers ace Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Chicago Cubs slugger Seiya Suzuki.
Samurai Japan, aiming to win a record-extending fourth WBC crown, will head into camp in the southwestern Japan city of Miyazaki from Feb. 14.
WBC opens March 5, with Japan beginning its campaign the following day against Pool C opponent Taiwan at Tokyo Dome.