The Los Angeles Dodgers are set to be represented by several players in the 2026 World Baseball Classic, including Clayton Kershaw and Will Smith on Team USA and Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto on Team Japan.
Roki Sasaki considered being part of the Samurai Japan roster as well, but the Dodgers reportedly elected to prevent him from participating after he missed a substantial amount of the 2025 season with a right shoulder injury.
Freddie Freeman also withdrew from Team Canada due to personal reasons, while Andy Pages backed out of playing for Team Cuba, and Teoscar Hernández from Team Dominican Republic in order to focus on the 2026 season.
According to baseball reporter Francys Romero, Andy Ibáñez also decided against playing for Team Cuba so he could focus on his first season with the Dodgers:
Andy Ibáñez will not be with Cuba for the 2026 World Baseball Classic, according to sources.
Although Ibáñez was included on Cuba’s preliminary roster, he has chosen to focus on Spring Training and properly prepare with his new team, the Los Angeles Dodgers.
— Francys Romero (@francysromeroFR) January 27, 2026
Ibáñez became a free agent this offseason as a result of getting non-tendered by the Detroit Tigers. He had spent the last three seasons with the Tigers, hitting a combined .251/.304/.392 with 20 home runs, 94 RBI and a 93 wRC+ in 304 games.
Ibáñez’s MLB career also includes spending parts of two seasons with the Texas Rangers in 2021 and 2022.
While appearing in 420 games thus far, Ibáñez has hit .254/.305/.389 with 28 home runs, 140 runs, 128 RBI and a 92 wRC+. The bulk of his success came in 2021 and 2023, but otherwise Ibáñez’s offensive contributions have largely been below league average.
Andy Ibáñez’s role with Dodgers
Ibáñez doesn’t have any Minor League options remaining, so he will need to make the Dodgers roster out of Spring Training or be designated for assignment.
Ibáñez is capable of playing first base, second base, third base and left field, and also has minimal experience at shortstop and right field.
With Tommy Edman expected to be unavailable for Opening Day, it’s reasonable to think Ibáñez will get a fair share of opportunities at second base.
Have you subscribed to the Dodger Blue YouTube channel? Be sure to ring the notification bell to watch player interviews, participate in shows and giveaways, and stay up to date on all Dodgers news and rumors!
