On Monday, the Dominican Republic’s World Baseball Classic roster got stronger. In an interview with Mañana Deportiva, manager Albert Pujols confirmed that Vladimir Guerrero Jr. will be on the team.
“He was one of the first ones to say yes,” Pujols said when asked about Guerrero’s inclusion.
Guerrero is the latest of several stars penciled in to play for the Dominican Republic ahead of the 2026 World Baseball Classic. He is coming off a stellar 2025 with the Toronto Blue Jays after a strong regular season in which he hit .292/.381/.467 with 23 home runs and 84 RBIs.
In the postseason, Guerrero elevated his play even further, hitting .397/.494/.795 with eight home runs and 15 RBIs while striking out just seven times in 89 plate appearances. His performance helped Toronto reach Game 7 of the World Series, where the Blue Jays fell to the Los Angeles Dodgers in a classic finale, just barely denying the franchise its first championship since 1993.
Guerrero is expected to be the Dominican Republic’s starting first baseman and one of its top offensive weapons. He was slated to play in the 2023 World Baseball Classic, but was forced to withdraw from the tournament after suffering a minor knee injury two days before leaving spring training.
He joins a lineup loaded with MLB stars, as confirmed hitters include Juan Soto, Ketel Marte, Manny Machado, Junior Caminero, Yainer Díaz, Geraldo Perdomo, Johan Rojas, Fernando Tatis Jr. and now Guerrero.
Julio Rodríguez and José Ramírez have also either publicly stated or have been reported to intend to participate and Astros shortstop Jeremy Peña remains in the plans for the Dominican Republic as well. If everything goes according to plan, the Dominican Republic will have one of the most formidable lineups in World Baseball Classic history in 2026.
The team looks to rebound from a disappointing 2023 tournament, when it went 2-2 and was eliminated in the first round by rival Puerto Rico. The Dominican Republic has not reached the semifinals since winning the tournament in 2013.
The Dominican Republic will compete in Pool D in Miami from March 6–11. It opens play March 6 against Nicaragua and will also face Venezuela, the Netherlands and Israel. The top two teams from the pool will advance to the quarterfinals in Miami to face two qualifiers from Pool C
WBN WBC: https://worldbaseball.com/league/wbc/
Photo: Vladimir Guerrero Jr doubles on September 12th, 2025 (Chris Young/The Canadian Press via AP
