According to Team Puerto Rico General Manager Carlos Beltran, Nolan Arenado has expressed interest in playing for Puerto Rico in the 2026 World Baseball Classic. The St. Louis Cardinal third baseman is eligible to play for Puerto Rico as his mother is Puerto Rican. This was announced by Beltran in a press conference earlier today.
Carlos Beltrán named General Manager for Team Puerto Rico for 2026 WBC
Arenado has previously played in the WBC, but never for Puerto Rico. In both 2017 and 2023, he suited up for the United States of America and helped the USA reach the tournament final both times, winning in 2017. Ironically, it was an undefeated Puerto Rico team in 2017 that Arenado helped topple to give the United States their first World Baseball Classic championship.
Nolan Arenado otra vez en conversaciones para jugar con Puerto Rico en el Clásico Mundial de Béisbol. Reportes indican que ya habló con Carlos Beltrán. En 2020, el padre de Arenado reveló a @Astros_Coverage que jugadores de PR no quisieron que el 3B estrella jugara con ellos. pic.twitter.com/hYYiJIJH84
— Eliezer González Caraballo (@ElTioElie) August 5, 2025
Arenado was born in Newport Beach, California, to a Cuban American father and a mother from Queens, New York, who is of Cuban and Puerto Rican descent. This gives Arenado eligibility for all three nations.
Although Arenado has previously played for Team USA, World Baseball Classic rules allow him to represent another country in different tournaments if he meets that country’s eligibility requirements, which he does. The World Baseball Classic does not prohibit changes in national representation across separate editions, but subsequent switches often depend on no prior final participation or obtaining new eligibility with documentation.
As long as Arenado does not appear for the United States or another country in qualifiers or the main tournament, he may play for Puerto Rico. Players have played for different countries in multiple editions of the World Baseball Classic before, but Arenado would for certain be the biggest name to do so if he chooses.
Nolan Arenado has been one of the best players in baseball over the past 15 years. He debuted in 2013 with the Colorado Rockies and has since been named to eight All-Star teams, won 10 Gold Glove Awards, and collected six Platinum Gloves, an award given to the best defender in all of baseball regardless of position. In 2021, Arenado signed with the Cardinals and has earned three of his eight career All-Star nods while playing for the redbirds.
Now age 34, Arenado is not the same offensive player he once was. After an excellent 2022 in which he accumulated 7.9 Wins Above Replacement and finished third in NL Most Valuable Player voting, Arenado’s offensive numbers have declined every season since. After posting a .719 OPS and 102 OPS+ in 2024, Arenado now owns a .660 OPS and 85 OPS+ in 2025, as of Aug. 5.
However, his experience and defensive prowess could lead him to being in the Puerto Rican infield alongside Carlos Correa and Francisco Lindor.
https://twitter.com/BeisbolPR/status/1952384091803857014
While Willi Castro and Kiké Hernández are also up for potential spots in the infield, Carlos Beltran’s comments definitely make it seem like there would be a place for Arenado on manager Yadier Molina‘s squad.
WBN WBC: https://worldbaseball.com/league/wbc/
Photo: St. Louis Cardinals third baseman Nolan Arenado (28) in the seventh inning of a baseball game Wednesday, July 23, 2025, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)
