ATLANTA, Ga. (Atlanta News First) – One of the best players in baseball will represent his country at the 2026 World Baseball Classic (WBC).
It was announced Thursday that Atlanta Braves star Ronald Acuña Jr. will be playing for Team Venezuela this spring.
He joins a squad that also added infielder Maikel Garcia and outfielders Jackson Chourio and Wilyer Abreu.
This marks Acuña’s second WBC appearance. The 28-year-old played for Venezuela in the 2023 WBC, going 4-for-18 with a double and two RBIs before he embarked on a historic 41-homer, 73-stolen-base season.
Atlanta Braves’ Ronald Acuña Jr. high fives young participants during a baseball clinic at the Hugo Chávez baseball park in the Petare neighborhood of Caracas, Venezuela, Thursday, Nov. 6, 2025. (AP Photo/Cristian Hernandez)(Cristian Hernandez | AP)
Acuña spent last year getting used to working with two surgically repaired ACLs, stealing just nine bags in 95 games. He stole 11 bags in 16 games in the Venezuelan Winter League, and with a new first-base coach, Antoan Richardson, who helped Juan Soto swipe 38 bases last season with the Mets, Acuña could be poised to regain his comfort and confidence on the base paths in 2026.
The World Baseball Classic (WBC) gets underway in March, with Venezuela set to face the Netherlands on March 6 at loanDepot Park in Miami. The tournament concludes on March 17.
Full WBC rosters will be unveiled Thursday, Feb. 5. So far, Acuña is the only Brave to commit to a WBC team.
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