The full 30-man roster of Japan Samurai Team is announced! Masataka Yoshida joins, setting a new MLB player record.

On December 26, 2025, the Japan Samurai Team for the 2026 6th World Baseball Classic revealed their first group of 8 players. Apart from two-way star Shohei Ohtani, the other seven are all pitchers. The jersey numbers of these 8 players were also released, with Ohtani continuing to wear number 16 for the Samurai Team.

Among this group, there are 3 MLB players: two-way ace Shohei Ohtani, left-handed pitchers Yusei Kikuchi and Yuki Matsui. Additionally, 5 Nippon Professional Baseball players were selected: Hiromi Ito, Taisei Ohsu, Atsuki Taneichi, Kaima Taira, and Daichi Ishii.

Japan’s head coach Hirokazu Ibata stated, "We are announcing part of the roster representing the Japan Samurai Team in the Classic. We sincerely thank every player and their club staff for their support. Other players will be announced after confirming their health and coordinating with their teams." He added, "With top players from various countries confirming participation, we expect intense competition but are actively building our squad to defend the title."

After the new year, on January 16, Japan revealed the second batch of 11 players, including veteran Tomoyuki Sugano and the 2025 Central League MVP Teruaki Sato. As the reigning champions, the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks have 3 players in this group. This leaves 11 spots still undecided for the Samurai Team.

On January 26, 2026, Japan announced 10 more players, confirming Dodgers’ World Series MVP ace Yoshinobu Yamamoto’s participation. The last spot on the 30-man roster remains pending due to administrative procedures and will be finalized later.

Among these 10 new additions are 4 MLB players: Dodgers pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Blue Jays’ Kazuma Okamoto, White Sox’s Munetaka Murakami, and Cubs’ Seiya Suzuki.

Two days before the official deadline to release the full 30-man roster, Japan unveiled the final member — Masataka Yoshida of the Boston Red Sox, who will wear number 34. He expressed, "I am deeply honored to be selected. I am grateful to join this excellent team with top coaches and teammates. I will give my all to help the Japan Samurai Team win and share great moments together again."

With this, the number of MLB players on Japan’s roster for the 6th Classic rises to 9, setting a new team record.

2026 6th World Baseball Classic Japan Team 30-Man Roster

Coaching Staff:

Manager: Hirokazu Ibata

Head Coach: Makoto Kaneko

Pitching and Catching Coach: Yoshinori Murata

Pitching Coaches: Atsushi Nomi, Kazuki Yoshimi

Infield Defense and Base Running Coach: Hideki Bon

Outfield Defense and Base Running Coach: Yoshiyuki Kamei

Fielding Coach: Nobuhiro Matsuda

Pitchers (15 players):

Yuki Matsui (San Diego Padres) LHP LHB

Daiki Miyagi (Orix Buffaloes) LHP LHB

Hiromi Ito (Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters) RHP LHB

Taisei Ohsu (Yomiuri Giants) RHP RHB

Shohei Ohtani (Los Angeles Dodgers) RHP LHB

Yusei Kikuchi (Los Angeles Angels) LHP LHB

Yoshinobu Yamamoto (Los Angeles Dodgers) RHP RHB

Tomoyuki Sugano (Free Agent) RHP RHB

Atsuki Taneichi (Chiba Lotte Marines) RHP RHB

Hiroto Takahashi (Chunichi Dragons) RHP RHB

Ryohei Sogaya (Orix Buffaloes) LHP LHB

Wataru Kitayama (Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters) RHP RHB

Kaima Taira (Saitama Seibu Lions) RHP LHB

Yuki Matsumoto (Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks) RHP LHB

Daichi Ishii (Hanshin Tigers) RHP RHB

Catchers (3 players):

4. Kenya Wakatsuki (Orix Buffaloes) RHP RHB

12. Seishiro Sakamoto (Hanshin Tigers) RHP RHB

27. Yuhei Nakamura (Tokyo Yakult Swallows) RHP RHB

Infielders (7 players):

2. Shugo Maki (Yokohama DeNA BayStars) RHP RHB

3. Kaito Kozono (Hiroshima Toyo Carp) RHP LHB

5. Taisei Makihara (Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks) RHP LHB

6. Sosuke Genda (Saitama Seibu Lions) RHP LHB

7. Teruaki Sato (Hanshin Tigers) RHP LHB

25. Kazuma Okamoto (Toronto Blue Jays) RHP RHB

55. Munetaka Murakami (Chicago White Sox) RHP LHB

Outfielders (5 players):

8. Kensuke Kondo (Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks) RHP LHB

20. Ukyo Shuto (Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks) RHP LHB

23. Shota Morishita (Hanshin Tigers) RHP RHB

34. Masataka Yoshida (Boston Red Sox) RHP LHB

51. Seiya Suzuki (Chicago Cubs) RHP RHB

Event Information:

The 6th World Baseball Classic in 2026 will take place from March 5 to 18, Beijing Time. The top 16 teams from the last tournament automatically qualified for the main event, with 4 additional teams advancing through qualifiers.

The main tournament consists of group stages and knockout rounds. During the group stage, 20 teams are divided into groups A, B, C, and D, playing round-robin matches in four cities. The top two teams from each group advance to the knockout stage. The top two teams from groups A and B will compete in Osaka's Daikin Park, while the top two from groups C and D will face off at Miami's LoanDepot Park. The semifinals and final will both be held at LoanDepot Park.

Japan is placed in Group C, alongside Chinese Taipei, Australia, Czech Republic, and South Korea, with games held at the Tokyo Dome.