San Diego Padres shortstop Xander Bogaerts will play for the Netherlands in the 2026 World Baseball Classic, announced by the Netherlands’ manager Andruw Jones on an episode of “Foul Territory” on Tuesday.
Jones, born in Willemstad, Curacao, also mentioned Jurickson Profar, Ozzie Albies, Ceddanne Rafaela, Didi Gregorius, Jonathan Schoop, and Kenley Jansen as players he’s recruiting to play for the Netherlands in next year’s WBC.
Andruw Jones announces Xander Bogaerts has committed to play for Team Netherlands in the 2026 WBC!
Jurickson Profar, Ozzie Albies, Ceddanne Rafaela, Didi Gregorius, Jonathan Schoop, and Kenley Jansen are among those he's currently recruiting. pic.twitter.com/DYU0DIh31Y
— Foul Territory (@FoulTerritoryTV) July 1, 2025
Bogaerts, 32, is a four-time All-Star and has won two World Series championships during his 13-year Major League Baseball career with the Boston Red Sox and Padres. He is in the third year of an 11-year, $280 million contract he signed with San Diego in December 2022.
The righty was born in Aruba, which is part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, and played in the WBC with the Netherlands in the 2013, 2017, and 2023 editions of the international tournament. Bogaerts also played for the champion Netherlands at the 2011 Baseball World Cup in Panama, where they finished with an 11-1 record and defeated Cuba 2-1 in the title game.
After maintaining above-average offensive production in each season from 2018 to 2023, Bogaerts has seen his numbers drop dramatically in both the power department and in on-base plus slugging percentage (OPS). In 2019, he hit a career-high 33 home runs with the Red Sox but managed just 11 in 111 games in 2024. In 2025, Bogaerts has five homers in 82 games, and his .703 OPS is 95 percentage points lower than his career average of .798.
Bogaerts should play an integral part in the Netherlands’ lineup in the 2026 WBC, bringing both MLB and previous experience playing in the tournament. If Jones can convince a few of the players he mentioned to participate in next year’s WBC, the Netherlands could become a formidable competitor.
The Netherlands will play alongside Venezuela, the Dominican Republic, Israel, and Nicaragua in Pool D from March 6 to 11, 2026, at loanDepot Park in Miami, Florida.
Photo: Xander Bogaerts of the San Diego Padres reacts after scoring a run during the eighth inning against the Washington Nationals at Nationals Park on July 23, 2024 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Scott Taetsch/Getty Images)
