Hideki Kuriyama, Japan's manager for the World Baseball Classic, said Tuesday he is pondering whether Los Angeles Angels two-way star Shohei Ohtani should pitch at next March's tournament, hit, or do both.
"Basically, I'm thinking he should be able to do both," Hideki Kuriyama told a press conference at Major League Baseball's winter meetings in San Diego.
If Ohtani does pitch, Kuriyama said he could use him either as a starter or closer.
Japan's first WBC game is scheduled for March 9, forcing players to be ready earlier than usual, and making baseball's already long season even more physically demanding.
The challenges may lead Ohtani, MLB's only full-time hitter and pitcher, to end up with a less strenuous role for Japan ahead of the regular season.
Tournament rules remain unclear as to when MLB players can join their national teams for training.
In addition to Ohtani, San Diego Padres pitcher Yu Darvish has announced he will play in March.
"If the rules allow, I want them to join us when training camp begins in Miyazaki in February," said Kuriyama, who managed Ohtani during his five years with the Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters before the star moved to MLB.
Darvish was a member of Japan's second WBC championship team in 2009. Ohtani has never taken part, having missed the previous WBC in 2017 because of an injury to his right ankle.