Nolan Arenado to play for Puerto Rico in 2026 World Baseball Classic

Arizona Diamondbacks third baseman Nolan Arenado will play for Puerto Rico in the 2026 World Baseball Classic.

Arenado, who Arizona acquired in a trade with the St. Louis Cardinals just 13 days ago, played for the United States in the 2017 and 2023 WBC but has a mother of Cuban and Puerto Rican heritage.

In 2017, Arenado played on Team USA that defeated Puerto Rico in the finals to win the title.

The eight-time All-Star and 10-time Gold Glove winner is not the first player to switch nationalities after playing for Team USA in a prior WBC. Similarly, pitcher Marcus Stroman was named MVP for Team USA in 2017 but played for Puerto Rico in the 2023 tournament.

Fellow Diamondbacks Ketel Marte and Geraldo Perdomo will play for the Dominican Republic; Corbin Carroll will suit up for Team USA; and Eduardo Rodriguez will represent the Venezuelan national team at the 2026 tournament.

Puerto Rico plays in Pool A with Canada, Colombia, Cuba and Panama. Its group stage games will be at Hiram Bithorn Stadium in San Juan, Puerto Rico.

The World Baseball Classic runs from March 6-17 with the championship game in Miami. Unlike in previous years, no tournament games will be held in Arizona; however, some nations will play tune-up exhibition games around the Valley before the tournament starts.

Puerto Rico fell to Mexico in the quarterfinals in 2023 after back-to-back second-place finishes.

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