Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani set to play a couple of Cactus League games before joining Japan for WBC

Shohei Ohtani is scheduled to play a couple of Cactus League games for the two-time defending World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers before he departs the desert to join Japan for the World Baseball Classic. “Sometimes he takes two and he feels good or he wants that third at-bat,” manager Dave Roberts said. When asked about Ohtani's travel plans, Roberts smiled and said, “I promised I'd try.”

By JANIE McCAULEY