Four Rangers Set to Miss Part of Spring Training for World Baseball Classic

The Texas Rangers will have at least four players participating in the World Baseball Classic next month.

A Texas Rangers cap and baseball mitt. | Raymond Carlin III-Imagn Images

The World Baseball Classic will announce the official rosters for the World Baseball Classic later this week. But four Texas Rangers are set to play.

The Dallas Morning News (subscription required) reported that pitcher Robert Garcia committed to play for Mexico, along with outfielder Alejandro Osuna. The other two are pitchers Nabil Crismatt and Cal Quantrill. Crismatt is expected to play for Colombia, while Quantrill is expected to play for Canada.

The Rangers have not made formal announcements for any of the four players. Garcia and Osuna are on the 40-man roster while Crismatt and Quantrill are playing on minor league deals with invitations to Major League spring training.

Rangers in WBC

Texas Rangers relief pitcher Robert Garcia. | Thomas Shea-Imagn Images

Rosters can change, even after they’re officially revealed. The tournament is set to begin on March 6, with each team playing a couple of exhibition games against Major League teams in spring training starting on March 3.

By participating in the WBC, each of the four Rangers will surrender time with Texas during spring training, which could impact their opportunities for a spot on the opening-day roster. Garcia is the least likely to lose a spot as he is considered a candidate to either be a closer or a long reliever and was a significant part of last year’s bullpen.

Osuna made his MLB debut last year after a terrific spring training. That was how he was able to get his foot in the door last season. Texas has significant depth in the outfield on the MLB roster, so it’s possible his play with Mexico could be enough to have him sent back to Triple-A Round Rock to begin the season.

Crismatt and Quantrill are contenders for relief or swing starters but adding them to the opening-day roster means a 40-man and 26-man roster move, something the Rangers may not entertain with a truncated spring training.

The players will return when their participation in the WBC is completed. But the longer teams play, the less opportunity it gives them to impress the Rangers.

Mexico will play in Pool B with the United States, Great Britain, Italy and Brazil, with action to start on March 6 in Houston. Former Rangers shortstop Benji Gil is the manager for Mexico and will lead Osuna and Garcia.

Pool A includes Colombia, Canada, Puerto Rico, Cuba and Panama. Those games will be played at Hiram Bithorn Stadium in San Juan, Puerto Rico. The top two teams from each pool advance to elimination play.