Colombia released its roster for the upcoming World Baseball Classic Qualifiers a few days ago. However, they’ve already made a few changes.
On Tuesday morning, Clarena Alvear G of Colombia A 90 Millas wrote on X that infielder Carlos Arroyo and outfielder Óscar Mercado would not play for Colombia at the WBC Qualifiers in Tucson, Arizona. Arroyo and Mercado were on the original official roster released by Colombia this past weekend. Right-handed pitcher Victor Vargas and shortstop Jose Ramos will replace them.
On Friday, Mercado signed a minor-league contract with an invite to Spring Training with the Philadelphia Phillies. The 30-year-old with 298 games of experience at the Major League Baseball level will turn his attention towards Clearwater, Florida, to try and nab an Opening Day roster spot. Mercado represented Colombia in the 2017 and 2023 World Baseball Classics.
Arroyo, 23, can play second base, third base, and center field. Alvear did not report why the Atlanta Braves farmhand is out of the tournament. He struggled with the bat during the summer of 2024, hitting .180 with a poor .529 OPS playing for High-A Rome. Arroyo fared much better in 29 games this winter in Colombia, slugging .442 with a .308 batting average for the Liga Profesional de Béisbol’s Caimanes de Barranquilla.
The replacements, Vargas and Ramos, have playing experience in the minor leagues in the United States and the LPB. Additionally, the two were teammates with Colombia in the 2023 Pan American Games in Santiago, Chile.
Vargas, 24, elected free agency in November after making two starts last season for the Dayton Dragons, the High-A affiliate of the Cincinnati Reds. He finished 2024 with the Milwaukee Milkmen of the American Association of Professional Baseball and posted an impressive 2.11 ERA in 42.2 innings. In all likelihood, Vargas will enter games out of the bullpen in the WBC Qualifiers for Colombia, which already has MLB veterans José Quintana, Nabil Crismatt, and Julio Teheran as starting pitcher options.
Ramos, 22, spent the 2024 season with the San Francisco Giants Arizona Complex League team, hitting .283 in 47 games with 13 stolen bases in 15 attempts. He transitioned to the LPB this winter, playing 21 games for the Vaqueros de Monteria. Ramos is a candidate to come off the bench for Colombia, which already has a loaded infield in Gio Urshela and the Seattle Mariner’s No. 12 ranked prospect on MLB Pipeline, second baseman and shortstop Michael Arroyo.
Colombia will compete in the Tucson Qualification Pool with Brazil, Germany, and China from March 2 to 6. The action will occur at Veterans Memorial Stadium at Kino Sports Complex in Tucson, Arizona.
The Taipei Qualification Pool will be held from February 21 to 25 at the Taipei Dome in Taipei, Taiwan. Chinese Taipei, Spain, Nicaragua, and South Africa will vie to earn two of the four available spots in the 2026 WBC.
On Monday, February 3, the 2025 WBC Qualifiers were announced to be streamed for free on YouTube, Facebook, the WBC’s website, and MLB.tv.
