The World Baseball Classic is returning in 2026, and the Los Angeles Dodgers already have two players committed to the tournament.
Shohei Ohtani was the first to announce his intention to play for Team Japan, and Will Smith shared he will be playing for Team USA.
Among other Dodgers players, Alex Vesia is a possibility for USA, while Yoshinobu Yamamoto hopes to play for Japan and Freddie Freeman for Team Canada.
Teoscar Hernández decided not to play for Team Dominican Republic, and at least one of his Dodgers teammates will opt out of playing.
Mookie Betts became the latest to opt out of playing in the WBC, he said on a stream with Aidn Ross and N3on:
“Nah, man. I was, but I can’t now. My wife, we’re having a kid, so the baby is due right in the middle of the WBC. She said she would divorce me if I wasn’t there for the kid. It is what it is.”
Betts played for Team USA for the first time in 2023 and appeared in seven games before they lost in the Championship to Japan.
Betts had 10 hits in 32 at-bats, hitting .313/.324/.344 with one double, one RBI and seven runs scored.
The 33-year-old is coming off a down season where he hit .258/.326/.406 across 150 games, but he also made the full-time change to shortstop after spending the majority of his career in right field.
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts believes Betts will rebound at the plate now that he’s more settled into the shortstop position, and not pushing himself during the WBC may be beneficial as well.
When is the World Baseball Classic?
The 2026 World Baseball Classic begins on March 4 at 7 p.m. PT with Chinese Taipei and Australia facing off. Team USA starts play on March 6 in Houston, Texas.
The championship will be held on March 17 at loanDepot park in Miami, Florida.
Team USA is looking to win its first WBC since 2017, while Team Japan looks to defend its title. Japan is the only nation to win multiple championships.
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