Yoshinobu Yamamoto pitched three innings in the Los Angeles Dodgers' 12-4 loss to the San Francisco Giants in spring training. As he prepares to join Samurai Japan for the World Baseball Classic, uncertainties loom over the Dodgers' starting rotation for the 2026 season. General manager Brandon Gomes highlighted the benefits of a longer spring schedule.
In Scottsdale, Arizona, Yoshinobu Yamamoto made his second and final Cactus League appearance on Friday afternoon, allowing runs in a 12-4 defeat to the Giants at Scottsdale Stadium. He threw 52 pitches, 37 for strikes, over three innings. Yamamoto will continue his buildup as the ace for Samurai Japan in the World Baseball Classic, remaining a key certainty in the Dodgers' rotation despite his absence.
The Dodgers, back-to-back World Series champions, enter their three-peat attempt with a talented pitching staff. Their projected full-strength rotation includes Yamamoto, Blake Snell, Tyler Glasnow, Shohei Ohtani, Emmet Sheehan, and Roki Sasaki. However, challenges persist. Snell, dealing with lingering left shoulder discomfort that sidelined him for four months last season, has only progressed to catch sessions at 90 feet and plans to reach 120 feet soon, leaving him behind schedule.
Ohtani intends to start in the rotation but faces buildup limitations during the Classic, where he will hit exclusively for Japan. He plans live throwing sessions on off-days and could pitch in the Freeway Series exhibition from March 22-24, though his first regular-season outing is expected to be limited to two or three innings.
Competition for rotation spots intensifies with Sasaki's shaky debut, Sheehan's absence due to illness, and promising returns from Gavin Stone (post-right shoulder surgery) and River Ryan (post-Tommy John surgery). Justin Wrobleski is also stretching out.
To manage their schedule—12 games in 15 days opening the season, followed by 19 in 20 days—the Dodgers prefer five days' rest for starters and may use a five-man rotation with bullpen swingmen like Wrobleski and Stone. A potential lineup: Yamamoto, Glasnow, Ohtani, Sheehan, Sasaki.
"I think the benefit of the WBC, beyond some exciting games going on, will be a longer spring for us," Gomes said earlier in spring training. "And not starting so early to have a little bit of wiggle room built in for guys getting ready."
Manager Dave Roberts noted the ongoing evaluations: "Once we break camp, we just don't know how we're going to fill out the roster with the best players. But you still kind of have to be mindful of where starters are built up to have length for guys coming out of the bullpen. All that stuff is kind of in the math of how you put together the roster."
With over three weeks of spring games remaining, the Dodgers have time to finalize their plans.
