Encouraging news: Team USA wanted Jack Leiter for its pitching staff.
Potentially discouraging news: The previous sentence is written in past tense.
Though Team USA reached out about adding the Rangers’ right-hander to its World Baseball Classic roster, ultimately, the second-year starter will not participate, two people with knowledge of the situation told The Dallas Morning News. Full rosters for the March tournament will be announced on Thursday.
Complications around insurance coverage have led to a number of players being unable to participate this year for various countries. Puerto Rico’s entry has been particularly hard-hit. Puerto Rico has reportedly lost 8-10 players because of insurance issues and, according to a story in The Athletic, dropping out of the tournament is “on the table.”
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Insurance costs have risen for the tournament, according to The Athletic, due to injuries suffered by Edwin Diaz and Jose Altuve in 2023.
It is unclear if insurance was at the heart of the Leiter situation or if there were other concerns expressed by the Rangers.
Leiter, 25, was expected to be added as a piggy-back reliever, who likely would have appeared only in the first round for Team USA, which is scheduled to open the tournament March 6 against Brazil in Houston. It likely would have taken him away from the Rangers for at least one start, perhaps more.
There are ample reasons for the Rangers to want Leiter under their supervision for all of spring. With a new manager in Skip Schumaker and a new pitching coach in Jordan Tiegs, there is value in everybody becoming more familiar with everybody else. In addition, this will be the first time Leiter will go to camp with the opportunity to simply prepare for his job, rather than trying to win a roster spot.
After a handful of appearances in 2024, Leiter took a big step forward in 2025. He landed a rotation spot in spring training, then made 29 starts and pitched 151 innings while still classified as a rookie. He surged in the second half of the season, compiling a 3.28 ERA after the All-Star break over 13 starts and averaging 10 strikeouts per nine innings.
He goes to camp as the likely No. 4 starter behind Jacob deGrom, Nathan Eovaldi and MacKenzie Gore.
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