MLB Opening Day is still over a week away but several of baseball's biggest names will be in action on Tuesday – and Shohei Ohtani cannot wait.

The final of the World Baseball Classic will pit Ohtani's Japan against the might of defending champions the United States.

With Ohtani planning to hit and pitch in relief as he ramps up his preparations for the new season, all eyes will be on his potential matchup with Los Angeles Angels team-mate Mike Trout, the Team USA captain.

"It's not only Mike Trout, but one through nine in that order is filled with superstars, household names," Ohtani said.

"I'm just excited to face that lineup. It's a great thing for Japanese baseball."

Ohtani was speaking after Japan's dramatic 6-5 comeback win over Mexico that booked their spot in the final.

In an apparent nod to the Angels' eight-year absence from the MLB playoffs – spanning his entire career – Ohtani said: "It's been a while since I've played in a win-or-lose game, in a playoff atmosphere."

Munetaka Murakami, a Japanese Triple Crown winner last year, clinched Japan's victory with a walk-off double at the bottom of the ninth.

"It was the best, epic," said Boston Red Sox outfielder Masataka Yoshida, while Mexico manager Benji Gil graciously added: "Japan advances, but the world of baseball won tonight."

That is still not enough for Ohtani, though, as the two-way superstar said: "Obviously, it's a big accomplishment to get to the championship series.

"But there's a big difference from being in first and second, so I'm going to do all I can to get that first place."

Houston Astros All-Star second baseman Jose Altuve suffered a fractured right thumb at the World Baseball Classic and will require surgery, sidelining him indefinitely.

Astros general manager Dana Brown revealed the severity of the injury on Sunday, a day after Altuve was hit by a pitch from reliever Daniel Bard in the fifth inning of Venezuela’s 9-7 quarter-final loss to the United States.

The Astros said he will undergo surgery in the coming days, and they will then determine a prognosis for him.

There is no official timeline for when he will return, but it has been reported that similar injuries have sidelined players for eight-to-10 weeks.

A major part of Houston’s dominance over the last half-dozen years, the 32-year-old Altuve is coming off his eighth All-Star season.

In helping the Astros win the 2022 World Series, Altuve hit .300 with 28 home runs, 39 doubles, 18 steals and 103 runs while earning his sixth Silver Slugger Award and finishing fifth in AL MVP voting.

He won the 2017 AL MVP – the same year he helped the Astros win the franchise’s first World Series championship.

Among active players, Altuve ranks seventh in hits (1,935), eighth in doubles (379) and 12th in runs (986).

He is the second MLB All-Star to suffer a serious injury at the World Baseball Classic after elite New York Mets closer Edwin Diaz tore his patellar tendon, ruling him out for the entire season. 

New York Mets pitcher Edwin Diaz is expected to miss the entire MLB season after suffering a serious knee injury while celebrating a Puerto Rico win in the World Baseball Classic.

Diaz left the field in a wheelchair after injuring his right knee while celebrating Wednesday's win over the Dominican Republic, with his team-mates visibly upset by the incident.

On Thursday, the Mets revealed Diaz – who penned a five-year, $102million contract with the team in the offseason – had undergone surgery after sustaining a complete patellar tendon tear.

"Edwin Diaz underwent successful repair of the patellar tendon in his right knee today," read an update from the team. "He is expected to begin a formal rehab program in about a week."

Earlier on Thursday, Mets general manager Billy Eppler suggested the closer – widely considered to be the best in the game – could be sidelined for around eight months, a timeline which would rule him out for the entire 2023 season.

Eppler noted some athletes have returned from similar injuries within a six-month timeframe, but added such cases were "more the exception than the rule".

Diaz took to social media to update his fans after the surgery, writing on Twitter: "To all my beloved fans, especially the Mets fans, I want to let you know that I am doing well and healing. 

"I feel blessed and grateful for your support with messages and prayers, thank you very much!  I can't wait to see you guys in NY again and play those trumpets."

Celebrations for Puerto Rico at the World Baseball Classic turned sour when pitcher Edwin Diaz hurt his knee after their victory against the Dominican Republic.

The New York Mets closer – widely considered to be the best in the game – eliminated the favourites for the competition as he struck out Teoscar Hernandez to complete a 5-2 victory.

In the ensuing celebrations, the players were jumping in a huddle before stopping once it became apparent that Diaz was injured.

His brother, Cincinnati Reds reliever Alexis Diaz, was in tears as medics attended to him, helping the 28-year-old from the field.

According to ESPN, the 28-year-old will undergo an MRI on Thursday, with sources fearing "the injury could keep Díaz out for a significant period".

"I didn't see it right away," Puerto Rico manager Yadier Molina said. "I was hugging our coaches in the dugout, and when we looked up, Edwin was on the ground.

"I didn't know. I didn't know how to act, I didn't know what to say. It caught me by surprise. It sucks. When you see a guy that works so hard like Edwin, when you see him on the ground like that, it's just sad."

Center fielder Enrique Hernandez added: "It wasn't pretty much until we got to the infield dirt that we realised something had gone wrong.

"At the moment we didn't know who it was. When we got there, that's when we realised who it was. Obviously, aside from being the best closer in the game right now, and being a huge part of this team, [Diaz] is one of the glue guys in that clubhouse."

The Arizona Diamondbacks and top prospect Corbin Carroll have agreed to an eight-year contract extension, according to multiple reports.

The 22-year-old outfielder signed for a base compensation of $111million, with a team option and escalators that could raise the total value of the deal over $134m.

According to MLB.com, Carroll's compensation is the most ever given to a U.S.-based player with fewer than 100 days of major league service time.

The previous record of $70m had been set by the Atlanta Braves' Michael Harris, who went on to be named the 2022 NL Rookie of the Year.

The deal locks Carroll up for all of his arbitration-eligible seasons, plus at least his first two free agency seasons.

Arizona drafted Carroll in the first round of the 2019 draft, and the left-handed center fielder has remained among the highest-ranked prospects in the organisation ever since.

Carroll made his major league debut last season, batting .260 with an .830 OPS in 115 plate appearances. In 32 games he had 27 hits, 15 for extra bases.

Earlier this offseason, MLB.com ranked the speedy outfielder as the No. 2 prospect in baseball, behind Baltimore Orioles infielder Gunnar Henderson.

The New York Yankees will be without left-handed starter and prized free agent acquisition Carlos Rodon to start the season in yet another blow to the Yankees’ pitching staff before the year has even begun.

Rodon, who received a $162 million contract to join New York this off-season, is suffering from a left forearm strain and will be on the injured list when the Yankees open the 2023 campaign in three weeks.

Rodon underwent an MRI on Wednesday, which revealed an injury similar to one that the two-time All-Star dealt with last season while with the San Francisco Giants.

“The finding was something, but not significant or serious,” Yankees general manager Brian Cashman told reporters on Thursday. “Obviously, trying to pitch through stuff is not a good thing, especially this time of year.

“If this was in-season - pennant race, late in the game - he's still probably up and running. He had this last May with the Giants, and he didn't miss any time with it.”

While Rodon was able to play through the injury last season, he was 1-4 in his five May starts with a 5.67 ERA – easily the worst stretch of his 14-8 campaign.

Rodon reiterated to reporters on Thursday that he could play through the injury if it had occurred at a more crucial time of the season, but the Yankees would not put a timetable on the lefty making his debut in pinstripes.

Cashman said that Rodon will take at least a week recovering on a no-throw program before ramping him up.  

“You just have to prevent looking at the calendar and force-feeding it and speeding the process up because you feel the outside pressure of it's a new organisation, fan base, stuff like that,” Cashman said. “[Rodon] understands that. He's a pro. But like anything else, it's the human nature of, 'I want to get out there and pitch.'”

Cashman also announced that relievers Lou Trivino and Tommy Kahnle would also begin the season on the injured list. The Yankees’ rotation is already missing last year’s mid-season acquisition, Frankie Montas, who underwent shoulder surgery in February.

Domingo German, Clarke Schmidt and Deivi Garcia are among the candidates to open the 2023 season in the Yankees’ starting rotation that will feature Gerrit Cole, Nestor Cortes and Luis Severino.

The Yankees open the season at home against the Giants on March 30.

New Boston Red Sox signing Justin Turner was taken to hospital to receive 16 stitches in his face after being nailed by a fastball during the first inning of Monday's spring training game against the Detroit Tigers.

Turner, 38, is a two-time All-Star with the Los Angeles Dodgers, where he spent the previous nine seasons before signing with the Red Sox as a free agent in December.

Starting at first base on Monday, and batting third in the line-up, Turner stepped up to the plate in the first inning following a four-pitch walk to Rafael Devers.

Tigers starter Matt Manning was struggling with his control, and the first pitch he threw to Turner tailed up and in, missing his helmet and drilling him directly in the face.

Blood immediately started to flow and the medical staff raced to his aid, although he was able to walk off the field under his own strength with a blood-soaked towel over his face.

He was taken to a local medical facility in Florida where he received 16 stitches in his face, but Turner's wife, Kourtney, shared a positive update through social media.

"16 stitches and a lot of swelling but we are thanking God for no fractures and clear scans," she wrote. 

"Thank you to everyone that reached out about Justin and sent prayers. We're home now and he's resting (okay – maybe listening to the replay of the game)."

In a statement, the Red Sox said: "He's receiving treatment for soft tissue injuries, and is being monitored for a concussion. He will undergo further testing, and we'll update as we have more information. 

"Justin is stable, alert, and in good spirits given the circumstances."

Toronto Blue Jays first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr will not play for the Dominican Republic at the World Baseball Classic, withdrawing from the tournament due to inflammation in his right knee.

The 23-year-old slugger injured his knee Friday while running the bases in a spring training game and the team announced Saturday he would not participate in the WBC.

Blue Jays manager John Schneider said an MRI showed no structural damage, and he is not expected to be sidelined for long.

Toronto, though, obviously do not want to take any chances as they head into the 2023 season with high expectations after finishing with 92 wins and reaching the playoffs last year.

Guerrero was named to his second All-Star Game in 2022 after leading the Blue Jays with 32 home runs and 97 RBIs while batting .274 in 160 games.

He is the third Toronto player to withdraw from the WBC, along with catcher Alejandro Kirk and relief pitcher Jordan Romano.

The Dominican Republic begins their WBC schedule next Saturday against Venezuela.

Gavin Lux's season is over before it even began.

Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts announced on Tuesday the infielder will miss the entire 2023 season due to a torn ACL in his right knee.

Lux sustained the injury on Monday in a spring training game when running between second and third base.

Needing to adjust his stride to avoid being hit by a throw, Lux's leg buckled awkwardly when he stepped down on his right foot. He tumbled to the ground and needed to be carted off the field.

Roberts said Lux also suffered damage to his LCL and will have surgery next week.

It is a devastating scenario for Lux, who was expected to be the Dodgers' everyday shortstop this season after Trea Turner left in free agency over the offseason to sign with the Philadelphia Phillies.

A first-round pick by the Dodgers in 2016, the 25-year-old Lux played in a career-high 129 games last season for Los Angeles, batting .276 with six home runs, 20 doubles and a National League-high seven triples.

In 273 career games over the parts of four MLB seasons, Turner is batting .253 with 18 home runs, 38 doubles and 105 RBIs.

Veteran Miguel Rojas will likely take over at shortstop for the Dodgers while the versatile Chris Taylor can also fill in.

Less than two weeks after saying he planned to become a free agent next offseason, Manny Machado committed his future to the San Diego Padres.

On Sunday, ESPN reported that Machado and the Padres agreed to a new 11-year, $350million contract that will run through the 2033 season.

The new deal will begin this season and replaces the six years and $180m Machado had remaining on the 10-year, $300m contract he signed with the Padres in 2019. It also contains a full no-trade clause and no opt-out opportunities, according to MLB.com.

Machado would have been able to opt out of his previous contract at the end of this season, and announced on February 17 he intended to do so after he and the Padres were unable to agree to an extension prior to a deadline imposed by the six-time All-Star's representatives.

The Padres have yet to officially announce the agreement, which is pending a physical, though Machado alluded to a deal being reached as he passed reporters while preparing for Sunday’s spring training game against the Arizona Diamondbacks.

"They believed in me since day one, and here we are," he said. "We’re going to, hopefully, make this our home. We're excited to be here for the rest of our careers and have this hat go into the Hall of Fame."

A career .282 hitter with 283 home runs over 11 major league seasons, Machado is coming off an excellent 2022 campaign where he finished second to St. Louis' Paul Goldchmidt for the National League’s Most Valuable Player award.

Machado finished the season fourth in the NL with a .298 batting average while producing 32 homers and 102 RBIs to help the Padres earn a playoff spot.

The 30-year-old homered four more times in 12 postseason games as San Diego ousted both the New York Mets and the top-seeded Los Angeles Dodgers to reach the NL Championship Series.

Machado previously won the NL's Silver Slugger Award for third basemen in 2020 and owns two Gold Glove awards. He broke into the majors as a 20-year-old with Baltimore in 2012 and spent six-plus seasons with the Orioles before being traded to the Dodgers in 2018. The Miami native signed with the Padres as a free agent the following offseason.

New York Yankees captain Aaron Judge declined to put a figure on the number of home runs he hopes to hit in 2023 but says "you never know" if he can better last season's historic return.

Judge last season broke Roger Maris Sr's long-standing American League and Yankees single-season record of 61 home runs from 1961, blasting 62 across the regular season.

When asked on Monday if he could hit 62 home runs again in the 2023 season, Judge replied "we'll see" with a wry grin.

"I don't like putting a number on it," Judge told reporters. "I just like going out there trying to control what I can control, but you never know what could happen. So, we'll see about 62."

Judge added: "I've got some goals written down but my individual stats always take care of themselves when I'm focused on the team. The game tells you what you need to do.

"After everything that transpired last season, I'll try do what I did last year, I'll try to take it one at-bat at a time."

Yankees manager Aaron Boone backed Judge for another "MVP-caliber season" irrespective of how many home runs he hits.

"The biggest thing for him is making sure he's going to the post and keeping him healthy," Boone said. "If that's the case, greatness will find its way.

"Whether it's not 60 homers again or 62 homers again, whatever it is, if he's healthy he's going to go out there and have an MVP-caliber season. There's no doubt in my mind about that. I don't worry about a hangover."

Judge was confirmed as the Yankees' 16th captain in December having signed a nine-year, $360million contract to stay in the Bronx.

The 30-year-old was excited by that "incredible title" but determined to lead the Yankees to World Series glory, which has eluded them during Judge's time with the franchise and since 2009.

"That sound in the clubhouse after a [season-ending] loss is probably the worst feeling a ballplayer can have," Judge said.

"You don't know what to say. You don't know what to do. All of a sudden you're going from, every day preparing for this game, and this is the most important game of your life, and all of a sudden you're done and the offseason begins.

"Every year that we don't finish what we started, it wears on us in different ways. Each season is a little different: If it’s getting kicked out at the Wild Card game, to the ALCS game, to the ALDS, they all sting, but they sting in different ways.

"As the years go on, and you make improvements from what you did last year and it's, 'We weren't able to do this, let's improve on that' – and you fail again and fail again. But I think every failure kind of pushes you towards that ultimate goal."

The agent of Los Angeles Angels superstar Shohei Ohtani believes the baseball unicorn has "earned the right" to explore free agency.

Ohtani, 28, is the only player in Major League Baseball who excels as both a pitcher and a hitter, earning an All-Star selection in both categories last season.

He struck out 219 batters in 2022 – the sixth-most in the majors – while also tying for 11th on the home run leaderboard with 34 dingers. His 80 combined home runs over the past two seasons trails only Aaron Judge (101).

The six-foot-four Japanese sensation led all players in Wins Above Replacement (WAR) in 2021, and it took Judge breaking the American League home run record in 2022 to unseat him as number one.

Ohtani will play for a $30million salary this season ahead of what will almost certainly be a record-breaking contract, but agent Nez Balelo gave no indication that his client is leaning towards staying in Anaheim.

When asked if he would be open to negotiating a long-term extension during spring training, Balelo said he is open to anything, but will not make a commitment.

"I've always been open to it," he said. "But there's several layers to this one, and Shohei's earned the right to play through the year, explore free agency, and we'll see where it shakes out."

Asked if that meant a spring training deal was actually unlikely, Balelo was again not willing to go one way or the other.

"I've said it before, I'll say it again – we're taking it one day at a time," he said. "I'm not putting the cart before the horse on this one."

Ohtani has been weighed down by poor Angels teams and has never made the playoffs – something he may be growing tired of.

"He's so competitive, like all great players are, so of course they want to experience the postseason, of course they'd love to be in the World Series," Balelo said. "But is that the deciding factor? I don't know. We'll just have to wait and see.

"Shohei's been here five years, now this is his final year, and now we have free agency, so of course there's gonna be a lot of questions.

"What does he wanna do? Where's he gonna go? All of it. And I've said this so many times and Shohei has said it as well – we really take it day by day, one day at a time.

"I've always wanted him to enjoy this ride that he's on. I've wanted him to embrace it. That's what he's done. We're gonna continue that."

Whoever eventually secures Ohtani long-term will almost certainly have to eclipse the nine-year, $360m benchmark set by Aaron Judge and the New York Yankees this offseason.

Los Angeles Dodgers ace Clayton Kershaw revealed on Friday that he will no longer be able to take part in March's World Baseball Classic.

Kershaw was announced as part of Team USA's star-studded squad during the initial team reveal on February 9, but according to reporting from ESPN, he ran into a roadblock when it came to getting his MLB contract insured.

Teams require players on their 40-man rosters to have their contracts insured before taking part in the World Baseball Classic, but with 35-year-old Kershaw having missed time with back injuries in five of the past seven seasons, it was far from straightforward.

Speaking to reporters, Kershaw confirmed he is fully healthy and has the Dodgers' blessing, but ultimately could not make it work.

"Super disappointing," he said. "We tried a lot of different things, all sides, we really tried to make it work. 

"Nothing's wrong with me, it just didn't work out. I really wanted to do it, I really wanted to be a part of that group.

"Probably my last chance to do it, so I really wanted to do it. Just didn't work out for a number of reasons. I'm frustrated. 

"They should make it easy for guys that want to play, to play. Obviously if the team doesn't want you to play that's one thing, but if you have the team's blessing, like I do, it should be easier. They should probably look into that."

He added: "There were some factors that were making it hard for me to play, and I tried to work it out on my own, tried to work it out with MLB, the union, the team. Everybody worked hard to try to make it work, and I wasn't able to."

Team USA general manager Tony Reagins also shared his disappointment in the outcome.

"It's unfortunate that Clayton won't be able to pitch for us," he said. "Clayton's desire to wear USA across his chest and represent his country was evident very early on in this process.

"We would have loved to have this future Hall of Famer on the mound for us, we respect all that he would bring to this clubhouse and this group of men. 

"We now have to pivot and turn our focus toward the next man up as we prepare to defend the WBC title. I'm confident in the roster that we've built and we look forward to getting everyone together in just a few weeks."

Manny Machado plans to exercise the opt-out clause in his contract following the upcoming season.

Machado is entering the fifth year of a 10-year, $300million deal he signed with the San Diego Padres in February 2019, which included the right to terminate the agreement after this season and enter the free-agent market.

"Obviously, the team knows where I stand, my situation with the opt-out coming," he said at the Padres' spring training camp in Peoria, Arizona. "I think I've expressed that I will be opting out after this year, but I think my focus is not about 2024. I think my focus is about 2023, what I can do to this ballclub, what I've done for the organisation and what we're going to continue to do here. I think we've got something special here growing and I don't think anything's going to change."

When Machado originally signed his deal, it was the second largest in the majors behind Giancarlo Stanton's $325m contract. Now he is tied for the 11th-highest deal with the Los Angeles Angels' Mike Trout topping the majors at $426.5m.

"Markets change," Machado said. "From where I signed five years ago, it's changed tremendously. Things change and evolve. As a player who's about to opt out, it's pretty good to see."

Machado is a six-time All-Star who finished second in the NL MVP voting last season after he batted .298 with 32 homers and 102 RBIs for a Padres team that reached the NL championship series before losing to the Philadelphia Phillies.

The Padres have not been shy about handing out big-money deals. They signed Xander Bogaerts to an 11-year, $280mi deal in the offseason, and recently gave pitcher Yu Darvish a six-year, $102m extension.

"That provision's in his contract," Padres manager Bob Melvin said. "It's in his right to opt out, but we've also shown a willingness to keep the important guys here."

Elite starting pitcher Corbin Burnes feels his relationship with the Milwaukee Brewers has been seriously damaged after his salary arbitration hearing.

Players with between three and six years of service time in the majors are eligible for salary arbitration, which is where both the individual and the team submit a salary figure to an independent arbitrator that they feel is fair.

Burnes, the 2021 NL Cy Young Award winner as the National League's best pitcher, submitted a figure of $10.75million, while the Brewers offered $10.01m.

During such a process there is a hearing, where each side presents their case, and oftentimes the scenario whereby a team tries to diminish the value of a star player does not go down well.

That was again the case this time around, with Burnes acknowledging he was disappointed to hear the team disparage his efforts after emerging as one of the best young arms in the sport.

"Obviously, it's tough to hear," he said. "It's tough to take. They're trying to do what they can to win a hearing.

"There's no denying that the relationship is definitely hurt from what [transpired] over the last couple weeks. There's really no way of getting around that.

"You kind of find out your true value. You think you work hard for seven years in the organisation, and five years with the big-league team, and you get in there and basically they value you much different than what you thought you'd contributed to the organisation.

"They won it [the arbitration]. But when it came down to winning or losing the hearing, it was more than that for me.''

He felt the Brewers crossed a line by implying he was the reason the team did not reach the playoffs in 2022, despite leading the National League with a career-high 243 strikeouts.

"That's something that probably doesn't need to be said,'' explained Burnes. "We can go about a hearing without having to do that.

"There was no attacking of character or the person who I was, but just some of the stuff that was said, that definitely didn't need to be said, is something that I think kind of disappointed everyone."

In damage control, Brewers president of baseball operations Matt Arnold put out a statement trying to reiterate the franchise's commitment to their top starter.

"The arbitration process always presents uncomfortable situations for both the club and player involved," he said. "It is never easy to present a case against a member of the Brewers family.

"I'd like to reiterate that we view Corbin as one of the leaders of our franchise and value him as an elite talent in the game. Corbin is a major contributor to the organisation both on and off the field, and we look forward to another outstanding season from him in 2023."

Burnes will be eligible for arbitration again next offseason if the two parties do not strike a long-term extension beforehand, while a trade is now also on the table if Burnes suggests he has no intention of remaining in Milwaukee.