Puerto Rico manager Yadier Molina recently confirmed the first 11 players for Puerto Rico’s World Baseball Classic roster in an interview on the Diamante 23 podcast.
The group includes pitchers Edwin Díaz, José Berríos and Fernando Cruz; infielders Javier Báez, Carlos Correa, Francisco Lindor and Nolan Arenado; outfielder Heliot Ramos and catchers Christian Vázquez, Martín Maldonado and Víctor Caratini.
Seven of the 11 players were part of Puerto Rico’s 2023 World Baseball Classic team that lost to Mexico in the quarterfinals, including Díaz. Díaz was injured while celebrating Puerto Rico’s pool play win over the Dominican Republic in 2023 and missed the entire Major League Baseball season.
Díaz, one of the game’s top closers and Puerto Rico’s expected bullpen leader, will return to the tournament after uncertainty following his 2023 injury. Díaz posted a 1.63 ERA with 98 strikeouts in 66 1/3 innings for the Mets in 2025 and signed with the Los Angeles Dodgers last offseason.
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Lindor will appear in his third World Baseball Classic and is once again expected to be Puerto Rico’s top player. One of the game’s best shortstops, Lindor is coming off another strong season in 2025, slashing .267/.346/.466 with 31 home runs and 86 RBIs.
Correa will also return after missing the 2023 tournament and is expected to start at third base. In the 2017 World Baseball Classic, Correa led Puerto Rico with a 1.250 OPS, three home runs and nine RBIs. Correa spent the 2025 season splitting time between the Twins and Astros, finishing the year with Houston after an underwhelming stint in Minnesota. He hit .290/.355/.430 with six home runs and 21 RBIs in 51 games with the Astros.
Berríos is awaiting final approval from the Toronto Blue Jays, but is expected to join the roster. In an injury-plagued 2025 season, Berríos posted a 4.17 ERA in 166 innings with 138 strikeouts, his fewest innings in a full season since 2017. He was shut down Sept. 25 with biceps tendon inflammation and missed the postseason. It marked the first injured-list stint of his MLB career.
Berríos is the first confirmed starting pitcher for Puerto Rico and will pitch in his fourth World Baseball Classic. Berríos originally made his WBC debut in 2013. Puerto Rico will have at least two players who played in the 2013 WBC, with Martín Maldonado also on the roster.
Nolan Arenado will make his national team debut for Puerto Rico after previously representing the United States in the 2017 and 2023 World Baseball Classic. He was one of the U.S. team’s offensive leaders in 2023, ranking fifth in OPS (1.025) and leading the team in hits (10) and doubles (three). Eligible to play for Puerto Rico through his mother, Arenado is expected to play first base. He hit .237/.289/.377 with 12 home runs and 52 RBIs in 2025, the lowest OPS and second lowest home-run total of his career in a non-shortened season.
Ramos will make his debut with Puerto Rico’s national team and is expected to be the starting left fielder. After a breakout 2024 season with the Giants, Ramos hit .256/.328/.400 with 21 home runs and 69 RBIs in 2025.
Puerto Rico will host a World Baseball Classic pool for the first time since 2013 and is one of four nations—along with Japan, the United States and Cuba—to advance past the opening round in every edition of the tournament. Pool A will be played in San Juan at Hiram Bithorn Stadium from March 6—11. Puerto Rico will open against Colombia on March 6, face Panama on March 7, Cuba on March 9 and Canada on March 10. The top two teams will advance to the quarterfinals in Houston.
WBN WBC: https://worldbaseball.com/league/wbc/
Photo: Puerto Rico infielder Francisco Lindor, right, yells after he tagged out Nicaragua’s Juan Diego Montes (99) as Montes tried to steal the second base during the fourth inning of a World Baseball Classic game, Saturday, March 11, 2023, in Miami. (AP Photo/Marta Lavandier)
