Mets' Juan Soto to Play in the World Baseball Classic

New York Mets superstar Juan Soto will be playing meaningful baseball in just over a month, as he is officially joining the Dominican Republic for the 2026 World Baseball Classic.

It shouldn't come as much of a shock that Soto will suit up for his home country, as he had originally announced his intention to do so in May of last year. But as more and more players have dropped out, the Mets official announcement confirmed that one of the league's best players will join Fernando Tatis Jr. and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. on what will be a star-studded DR roster.

Juan Soto will play for the Dominican Republic in the @WBCBaseball! 🇩🇴 pic.twitter.com/v4MD33vukX
— New York Mets (@Mets) February 1, 2026

The news comes just a day after it was announced Mets shortstop Francisco Lindor would not be returning as team captain for Puerto Rico due to a cleanup elbow procedure that he underwent earlier in the offseason. With this, Ken Rosenthal and Evan Drellich of The Athletic reported that Puerto Rico is considering withdrawing from the tournament, citing a denial of insurance coverage for eight to ten of their players, most notably Lindor and Carlos Correa.

Major injuries to Edwin Díaz and Jose Altuve during the last WBC in 2023 have fueled the concern that many clubs have with the tournament. With the championship game scheduled for March 17, just over a week before Opening Day, even a small injury could prove detrimental to the MLB season.

Soto gave some insight into the decision-making process for joining the tournament last year when he told Tim Healey that he "might be" playing in the WBC but admitting that "it's up to the boss," or team owner Steve Cohen. While most owners and general managers would admit they would rather avoid the risk that comes with allowing their stars to participate, it's clear that the games are meaningful enough to the players to make an exception.

Soto stood out as one of the tournament's best hitters in 2023, posting a 1.500 OPS with six hits, two home runs, three doubles, and three RBI in 15 at-bats. But Soto's incredible performance came in limited action, as the Dominican Republic was bounced out in the first round, going 2-2 in a strong group that featured Venezuela and Puerto Rico. This time around the DR will open in Miami, Flordia for the Group stage where they will face off with the Netherlands, Nicaragua, Israel, and Venezuela.

Juan Soto hit one 450 dead center... literally 😳

📺: WBC on FS1 pic.twitter.com/06b7if48HS
— FOX Sports: MLB (@MLBONFOX) March 16, 2023

Other Mets that have made their commitment to this year's WBC are Clay Holmes and Nolan McLean who will both be pitching for Team USA. Jonah Tong, who had considered playing for Team Canada, will not be participating this year as he looks to carve out a big-league role after debuting late last season.

The 2026 WBC starts on March 5th, with the finals set for March 17th in Miami. Despite the obvious injury concern, the tournament will be a great opportunity for these Mets to shine on a massive stage while representing their countries.

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