On the 11th, Rakuten Eagles announced that pitcher Shoma Fujihira (27) has been added to the Japan national team for the 6th World Baseball Classic (WBC) to be held in March. Seibu Lions Lions pitcher Kaima Taira (26), who had been selected as a member of Samurai Japan, has withdrawn from the team due to a strain in his left calf, and Fujihira, a fellow right-handed reliever, has been selected as a replacement. Fujihira commented through the team, "I am honored to have been selected. I will do my best in the position I've been assigned. I will do my best to contribute to Samurai Japan's win."

As of the 4th, when all 30 players were announced, Rakuten Eagles was the only NPB team without a player selected, but with Fujihira's additional selection, a player from each of the 12 NPB teams will now be selected. This marks the third consecutive tournament in which WBC members have been selected from each of the 12 teams. At the last tournament in 2013, when Rakuten Eagles won the world championship, pitcher Yuki Matsui (30), currently with the Padres, was selected for the team. A player from each of the 12 NPB teams was selected.

Three Rakuten Eagles players participated in the "LUXAS Samurai Japan Series 2025 Japan vs. Korea" held last November. Fujihira, pitcher Naoto Nishiguchi (29), and infielder Itsuki Murabayashi (28) all played well and made a strong case for inclusion in the WBC roster. Initially, Fujihira was narrowly overlooked from the 30-man WBC roster, which also includes major league players, but with Taira's withdrawal, Fujihira was chosen.

Among other teams, Hanshin Tigers and Softbank Hawks have the most players on the roster, with four each. Both teams have the most players selected in Japan.

Number of selections by team

▽ Hanshin Tigers...4 (Ishii, Sakamoto, Sato, Morishita)

▽ Softbank Hawks...4 (Matsumoto, Makihara, Kondo, Shuto)

▽ Orix Buffaloes...3 (Miyagi, Soya, Wakatsuki)

▽ Nippon-Ham...2 (Ito, Kitayama)

▽ The Giants...1 (majority)

▽DeNA…1 (Maki)

▽ Hiroshima…1 (Kozono)

▽ Chunichi Dragons…1 (Takahashi Hiroshi)

▽ Yakult...1 (Nakamura)

▽ Seibu Lions...1 (Genda)

▽Lotte...1 (Taneichi)

▽ Rakuten Eagles …1 (Fujihira)

▽ MLB...9 (Otani, Yamamoto, Matsui, Kikuchi, Sugano, Okamoto, Murakami, Suzuki, Yoshida)