Eight-time All-Star and 10-time Gold Glove winner Nolan Arenado will suit up for Team Puerto Rico in this year’s World Baseball Classic. The announcement was made on Monday, less than two weeks after Arenado was traded by the Cardinals to the D-backs.
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Arenado, whose mother, Millie, is of Puerto Rican and Cuban ancestry, played for Team USA in the 2017 and 2023 Classics. He batted .385 in the most recent WBC, going 10-for-26 with four extra-base hits and five RBIs as the Americans finished as the runner-up to Team Japan. In 2017, he was on the USA team that defeated Puerto Rico, 8-0, in the finals for the championship.
This is not the first time a USA player has switched sides to play for Puerto Rico. Right-hander Marcus Stroman, who was the Classic MVP for Team USA in 2017, suited up for P.R. in the 2023 edition.
Arenado will team up on the left side with Mets shortstop Francisco Lindor, who will be the captain in his third World Baseball Classic. Puerto Rico has finished second in the Classic twice, in 2013 and '17.
Team Puerto Rico’s 2026 World Baseball Classic run will begin on March 6 vs. Colombia. Puerto Rico will host first-round action for Pool A in San Juan at Hiram Bithorn Stadium. Pool A also includes Cuba, Canada and Panama.