Why Randy Arozarena Is Playing for Mexico at the World Baseball Classic

Randy Arozarena is representing Mexico at the 2026 World Baseball Classic | Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

The 2026 World Baseball Classic is off to a fantastic start, but even after a few games, there are a few confusing roster selections. Players that most people didn’t know had connections to certain countries are representing those teams during the WBC.

Jazz Chisholm Jr. is playing for Great Britain, Dusty Baker is Nicaragua’s manager, and Jac Caglianone is representing Italy. Another example is Randy Arozarena, who is playing for Mexico.

The Mariners’ outfielder is participating in his second WBC for Mexico after playing for the team during the 2023 event. He will face Team USA on Monday in the third round of play in Pool B.

So, at this point, you might be curious how Randy Arozarena is eligible to play for Mexico. It turns out there is actually a pretty simple explanation.

Why Randy Arozarena is playing for Mexico at 2026 World Baseball Classic

Arozarena was born in Mantua, Cuba, a small town about 170 miles from Havana. He represented his home country at the youth level and earned a reputation as an outstanding young player.

He played for Cuba at the 2011 U-16 Baseball World Cup and won a bronze medal with his nation’s team at the 2013 U-18 Baseball World Cup in Taiwan. His teammates on that squad included Yoán Moncada and Luis Robert Jr.

From 2013 through 2015, Arozarena played for the Vegueros de Pinar del Rio in the Cuban National Series. Later in 2015, he defected from Cuba to Mexico on a small boat. When he arrived, he played in several Mexican leagues in 2016 before the St. Louis Cardinals signed him as an international free agent on August 1, 2016. His deal was for $1.25 million.

Arozarena became a Mexican citizen in April of 2022 after expressing a desire to do so. After becoming a citizen, he was free to represent the country in the World Baseball Classic, as he did in 2023.

What other notable MLB players are playing for Mexico?

Mexico has a number of current MLB players on its roster other than Arozarena.

A list of the biggest names is below.

• Alejandro Kirk, catcher, Blue Jays
• Jarren Duran, outfielder, Red Sox
• Alek Thomas, outfielder, Diamondbacks
• Joey Ortiz, infielder, Brewers
• Jonathan Aranda, infielder, Rays
• Javier Assad, pitcher, Cubs
• Taj Bradley, pitcher, Twins
• Andrés Muñoz, pitcher, Mariners
• Brennan Bernardino, pitcher, Rockies

Kirk is the team’s captain this year.

How Randy Arozarena is performing so far at the 2026 WBC

Through the first two games of the 2026 WBC, Arozarena is 2-for-6, with a double, one RBI and three runs scored. He has two walks against one strikeout and boasts a .333 batting average, with a .500 on-base percentage while slugging .500. His 1.000 OPS through two games is excellent.

In 2023, he was arguably Team Mexico’s best player. He went 9-for-20 at the plate with one home run, six doubles and nine RBIs in six games. He had six walks against five strikeouts. He posted a .450 batting average to go along with a .607 on-base percentage, while slugging .900. His 1.507 OPS was second among all qualified players.

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