The World Baseball Classic is getting closer and more intel on players committing to the tournament is coming to light. Here’s the latest on what players are and are not participating.
Dominican Republic – In an interview with The Postdom, Jhoan Duran confirmed he would not be participating in the upcoming World Baseball Classic. He cited the number of innings he threw last season as a reason why. He threw a career-high 70 innings in the regular season and tossed 3 2/3 more innings in October.
Elly De La Cruz wants to play for the Dominican Republic in the World Baseball Classic, but according to Nelson Cruz in an interview with Yancen Pujols, he couldn’t get an insurance company to approve a policy that would enable him to play.
According to Abraham Abreu P., Brayan Bello has received permission from the Boston Red Sox to pitch in the World Baseball Classic. Bello had a solid season this year, posting a 3.35 ERA in 166 2/3 innings across 29 games.
Italy – Italy could have a strong collection of MLB talent on its team, but according to WSCR-AM’s Bruce Levine, Ned Colletti confirmed that Italy has also reached out to Anthony Rizzo.
Venezuela – Gleyber Torres expects to play for Venezuela again in the 2026 World Baseball Classic, according to MLB.com’s Jason Beck. Torres had a resurgent season, being named an All-Star for the first time since 2019. He posted a .745 OPS with 16 home runs.
Photo: Elly De La Cruz of the Cincinnati Reds wanted to play for the Dominican Republic at the 2026 World Baseball Classic, but couldn’t get insured to play. (AP Photo/Kareem Elgazzar)
