Dodgers Star May Not Be Available For 2026 World Baseball Classic Due to Health Concerns

Oct 27, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers designated hitter Shohei Ohtani (17) celebrates with first baseman Freddie Freeman (5) after hitting a home run during the third inning against the Toronto Blue Jays in game three of the 2025 MLB World Series at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

The Los Angeles Dodgers have plenty of stars who are likely to feature in the World Baseball Classic come March, but Freddie Freeman may not be among them.

Freeman stayed healthy throughout the entire regular season, and the wear and tear effects of the season have taken their toll on the first baseman. Baseball Canada's Greg Hamilton revealed Freeman is dealing with a health issue, but he "really wants to play" in the tournament.

Freddie Freeman wants to play for Canada at the WBC per Greg Hamilton & Ernie Whitt of Baseball Canada.

Freeman dealing with "a little bit of a health issue" after the wear and tear of a long season per Hamilton but "he does want to do it, he really wants to play."

— Ben Nicholson-Smith (@bnicholsonsmith) December 9, 2025

Freeman represented the United States in youth baseball tournaments, but swapped over to Team Canada ahead of the 2017 World Baseball Classic. He has played in both of the last two WBC tournaments for Canada, though hasn't made it out of pool play in either tournament.

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He has struggled through his two WBC appearances, slashing .182/.182/.182 through his first three games in 2017. Freeman's next three games in the 2023 WBC also disappointed, as he slashed .200/.273/.200 in three games. Across his six games in the WBC, Freeman has recorded two RBIs.

The nine-time All-Star played 147 games in 2025, matching his total from the 2024 season, during which he struggled through an ankle injury. He hit 24 home runs last season, recording 90 RBIs and posting an .869 OPS.

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He also found his way into the race for the NL batting title in 2025 with a .295 average, narrowly finishing behind Trea Turner's .304 batting average.

Canada got drafted into the hardest pool of the bunch in the 2026 WBC, and will need to play top contenders in Puerto Rico and Cuba, as well as difficult matchups against Panama and Colombia in Pool A.

Team Canada has never finished better than ninth in the World Baseball Classic, and will look to change their luck come March. Freeman is one of two All-Stars who routinely play for Canada — the other being Josh Naylor — and missing him would be a huge blow.

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If Team Canada is to have any chance in the tournament, they'll hope the Dodgers star can recover in time to put in a healthy shift at the WBC.

For more Dodgers news, head over to Dodgers on SI.