TOKYO -- Shohei Otani will not pitch for Japan in next month's World Baseball Classic because of injury, although he might still hit.
Since helping the Nippon-Ham Fighters win the Japan Series in the fall, Otani has been struggling to recover from soreness in his right ankle.
"It would have been difficult in terms of getting ready in time. It's unfortunate, but I won't be able to pitch in the WBC," said Otani, who is in Arizona, where the Fighters are holding a spring camp.
Otani, 22, played a key role as a batter when Japan faced the Netherlands and Mexico in exhibition games in November. Last season, he batted .322 with a career-high 22 home runs.
Nippon-Ham manager Hideki Kuriyama made Wednesday's decision. The Fighters' training staff said that if the ankle got any worse, Otani might have needed surgery.
Otani was tentatively scheduled to start Japan's first WBC game on March 7 in Tokyo against Cuba.
Japan won the inaugural WBC in 2006 and defended its title in 2009. The Dominican Republic won in 2013.