Why Cal Raleigh, Alex Bregman Are Out of Team USA Lineup vs. Dominican Republic

Cal Raleigh is not expected to start for Team USA vs. the Dominican Republic in the WBC semifinals. | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

As Team USA vies for its place in the championship game of the World Baseball Classic, it will have to get past the juggernaut that is the Dominican Republic.

The semifinals showdown will take place Sunday evening at 8 p.m. ET, and there will be a pair of notable changes to Team USA’s lineup for the elimination game. Manager Mark DeRosa has opted to shake things up, removing catcher Cal Raleigh and third baseman Alex Bregman from the starting lineup. Replacing Raleigh will be Dodgers catcher Will Smith, while Orioles infielder Gunnar Henderson will draw the start at third base in the place of Bregman.

Team USA Lineup

Raleigh and Bregman being replaced by Smith and Henderson are the only changes to the United States’ lineup against the Dominican Republic.

With Smith entering the lineup, left fielder Roman Anthony will move back down to the No. 7 spot after hitting sixth in the order against Canada. Henderson takes over as the No. 5 hitter, which was Bregman’s spot in the lineup on Friday.

Tonight’s starting lineup against the Dominican Republic pic.twitter.com/t0ZQ3uJWwy

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MORE: How U.S. Survived vs. Canada and Advanced to World Baseball Classic Semifinals

Why are Cal Raleigh and Alex Bregman being benched for Team USA?

Bregman and Raleigh have both struggled throughout the tournament, leading to DeRosa opting for a pair of hotter hitters in Smith and Henderson to draw the start in the must-win setting.

Raleigh, coming off his AL MVP runner-up campaign in which he set the record for most home runs in a single season by a catcher, has yet to record a hit at the WBC. He’s 0-for-9 with five strikeouts and four walks, and even surrendered a rare passed ball while behind the plate. As Raleigh struggles to find his form in the batter’s box, he’ll sit in favor of Smith, who’s only played in two games thus far.

As for Bregman, the veteran third baseman is 2-for-11 at the plate with just one extra-base hit. He has four RBIs and five walks, but hasn’t done enough to remain in the lineup. Bregman went 1-for-4 against Canada in the quarterfinals and went hitless against Mexico during pool play.

When asked about the lineup change, DeRosa told reporters Sunday that he was “going with the hot hand,” and “playing the num

Will Smith’s World Baseball Classic stats

Smith and Henderson haven’t seen too much action at the WBC, though they both started against Italy when the U.S. bizarrely deployed its backups despite not yet having clinched its spot in the elimination stages.

At the WBC, Smith is 2-for-6 with two hits, two walks and one RBI. He is one of two players (along with Ernie Clement) on Team USA not to record a strikeout in the tournament. Smith is a strong contact hitter, coming off a 2025 season in L.A. in which he had a .296 batting average and .901 OPS. He’s no stranger to the WBC stage either, having represented Team USA in 2023 when he went 2-for-10 with a home run and one RBI across three games.

Gunnar Henderson’s World Baseball Classic stats

Unlike Smith, this is Henderson’s first time representing Team USA at the World Baseball Classic. He’s delivered so far into his debut at the event, however. In the United States’s loss to Italy, Henderson went 1-for-4 and hit a three-run home run. He’s collected five hits in 10 at-bats at the tournament, though he’s also recorded four strikeouts.

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