Shohei Ohtani made it clear to the Japan Samurai team's head coach: no special treatment is necessary.

The Japan Samurai team has announced a 29-player roster for the World Baseball Classic, with only one final spot yet to be decided. The roster features a record eight Major League players. Regarding Shohei Ohtani's batting order position, head coach Hirokazu Ibata only confirmed that he will bat in the "top portion" of the lineup and shared details of their communication: "He told me, 'Please don’t hold back,' wanting to be treated the same as the other players without any special treatment."

Shohei Ohtani has been confirmed in the initial roster representing Japan, with hopes that his star power will attract more top talent to join. As the second and third rounds of roster announcements are released, the team now includes eight Major League players: pitchers Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Yusei Kikuchi, Yuki Matsui, Tomoyuki Sugano; position players Seiya Suzuki, Kazuma Okamoto, Munetaka Murakami; and the two-way star Shohei Ohtani.

Discussing the lineup setup, Ibata said: "Major League players already occupy about half of the batting order, and Ohtani’s spot will directly influence the entire lineup’s structure." The only confirmed detail so far is that he will bat in the "top portion" of the order.

When asked if Ohtani himself made any personal requests, Ibata replied: "From the start, he clearly said, 'Please don’t hold back.' When we first met, he emphasized that he wants to be treated like any other player, with no special arrangements."