D-backs' Alek Thomas Sends Message Amidst Mariners WBC Controversy

"Take things personally," reads the post on Arizona Diamondbacks outfielder Alek Thomas' Instagram story Wednesday, on top of a now-infamous photo of Seattle Mariners teammates Randy Arozarena and Cal Raleigh at the World Baseball Classic.

Thomas and Arozarena are teammates and fellow outfielders on the Team Mexico roster this tournament. Team Mexico will play a crucial, tournament-shaping game with Team Italy Wednesday night at 7:00 p.m. Eastern Time, 4:00 p.m. local Arizona time.

Arizona Diamondbacks' Alek Thomas Posts WBC Photo

"Take things personally"

Mexico and Diamondbacks center fielder Alek Thomas posted this on his Instagram story: pic.twitter.com/WBNxPFVPW8
— Talkin' Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) March 11, 2026

The photo, of course, shows the sequence of events that led to a significant controversy in the Mariners world. Raleigh, representing Team USA, declined to shake hands with his Seattle teammate. That sparked a perplexing tirade from Arozarena, which has made the rounds of MLB media.

Plenty has been speculated as to how serious the dispute between the two Mariners may be. “There's no beef. I love Randy. Like I said, when we're back in Seattle, he's my brother. He's family,” Raleigh said.

Arozarena, of course, laid into Raleigh following the incident with a profanity-riddled rant. It was not clear to reporters on site whether it was serious or in jest. He did not address the issue with reporters on Wednesday ahead of Mexico's matchup with Italy.

Thomas has not commented publicly on the situation, but it would appear he has his Mexican teammate's back.

Thomas has had a solid run so far this WBC, hitting .364/.417/.636 with a 1.053 OPS over three games, including a homer and five RBI. The young outfielder has been in the midst of making some mechanical adjustments to his swing — reducing his leg-kick in search of a bounce-back season in 2026.

“There was success with the leg kick, but it was never consistent — and it hasn’t been consistent for the past four years,” Thomas said to AZCentral's Nick Piecoro and Jose Romero.

“Talking with the hitting coaches and the people I work with, as well, it was, ‘What can I do to get myself the best chance?’ I just thought — and the hitting coaches thought — this would probably be the best thing to do.”

Thomas is one of Arizona's many major league contributors who is representing his country in the WBC. Ketel Marte, Geraldo Perdomo and Carlos Santana are all representing the Dominican Republic, while Nolan Arenado is playing for Team Puerto Rico. Numerous D-backs minor-leaguers are scattered throughout the world tournament, as well.

Emotions run high when one is fighting for the pride of their home country. Thomas and Team Mexico are looking to punch their tickets to the next round Wednesday night.