San Diego Padres star Fernando Tatis Jr. intends to make his long-anticipated debut for the Dominican Republic at the 2026 World Baseball Classic. Dennis Lin of The Athletic reported the news on Tuesday night. Hall of Famer Albert Pujols and general manager Nelson Cruz will manage the Dominican club.
Fernando Tatis Jr.’s re-emergence as one of the biggest stars in baseball is expected to continue next March in the 2026 World Baseball Classic.
“Representing my country … is something that I cherish, something that I always wanted as a kid,” he said. https://t.co/7MgsUJLUwi
— Dennis Lin (@dennistlin) April 15, 2025
“They haven’t made it official, but there’s really good talks out there,” Tatis told The Athletic following his two-homer performance in San Diego’s 10-4 win over the Chicago Cubs at Petco Park. “It’s a matter of me staying healthy the rest of the season, putting everything that’s more important in front, and then we’ll see how that goes.”
The 26-year-old right fielder from San Pedro de Macorís was ineligible to participate in the 2023 WBC due to an 80-game suspension following a positive test for Clostebol, a violation of MLB’s Joint Drug Prevention and Treatment Program. Since his return in April 2023, Tatis has reasserted himself as a cornerstone for the Padres, collecting 46 home runs and 127 RBI over two seasons and earning a Platinum Glove.
“Representing my country, playing right next to my Dominican fellows is something that I cherish, something that I always wanted as a kid,” Tatis said. “Definitely looking forward to it.”
Through 16 games in 2025, Tatis is slashing .361/.429/.672 with six home runs, 12 RBI, and a 1.101 OPS from the leadoff spot. The Padres are 14-3 overall and remain undefeated at home with an 11-0 record entering Tuesday night’s series continuation against the Cubs.
Tatis Jr. isn’t the only big name expected on the Dominican Republic roster. The federation, under president Juan Núñez, continues evaluating top players ahead of roster selection, including Ketel Marte, Juan Soto, Geraldo Perdomo, Mark Vientos, Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Jasson Dominguez, Rafael Devers, Elly De La Cruz, Jeremy Pena, Willy Adames, Julio Rodriguez, Jose Ramirez, Austin Wells, and Gary Sanchez. Manny Machado—Tatis’ current teammate who previously played for the D.R. in both the 2017 and 2023 editions.
