As Major League Baseball teams prepare to enter spring training, a new season will be on their minds, but for many players, the season kicks off in early March with the 2026 rendition of the World Baseball Classic. The tournament will begin on March 5th and wrap up on March 17th before the regular season kicks off for the Kansas City Royals on March 27th in Atlanta. 

Seven Royals players have been selected for the 2026 WBC: Bobby Witt Jr., Salvador Perez, Maikel Garcia, Vinnie Pasquantino, Jac Caglianone, Seth Lugo, and Carlos Estévez. 

Team United States of America

Witt Jr. will be appearing in his second straight WBC, after debuting in 2023 when the USA fell to Japan 3-2 in the finals. Witt Jr. went 1-for-2 in the 2023 tournament at the age of 22 years old. This time, Witt Jr. is expected to take on a bigger role as one of the faces of MLB. 

“It’s an honor, and the last time we did it, we fell a little short,” Witt Jr. said. “So I just wanted to help the team win gold and help the country win gold.” 

Witt Jr. is coming off a season that saw the shortstop bat .295 with 23 home runs, 88 runs batted in, and 38 steals. A career .290 hitter, with an on-base percentage of .340, Witt Jr has the chance to be an integral piece of bringing a championship to the USA’s side. 

Team Venezuela

Both Perez and Garcia will be representing Venezuela when they square off with the Netherlands on March 6th in Miami. 2026 will be Perez’s fourth WBC, and he was named captain of Venezuela. In 2023, Venezuela lost 9-7 to the USA in the quarterfinals. Perez batted .429 with one home run and six RBIs in 2023, earning himself a nod to the All-WBC team. Last season, Perez batted .236 with 30 home runs and 100 RBIs. 

Garcia will be representing Venezuela for the first time at the WBC, after a strong 2025 season that saw the third baseman bat .286 with 16 home runs, 74 RBIs, .351 OBP, and 23 steals. The 25-year-old won his first Gold Glove in 2025 and was nominated for a Silver Slugger at the utility position. In December, the Royals and Garcia agreed to a five-year contract worth $57.5 million with a club option for 2030. 

Team Italy

Pasquantino and Caglianone will be joining forces on Team Italy, as they look to build on a strong 2023 WBC, which saw them fall 9-3 in the quarterfinals to the eventual champions, Japan. 

This will be the second straight tournament for Pasquantino, who was a part of the 2023 team, batting .200 with a .273 OBP across 20 at-bats. Last season, Pasquantino batted .262 with 32 home runs and 113 RBIs, leading the Royals in both home runs and RBIs. 

The 22-year-old Caglianone will be making his WBC debut in 2026, after debuting in MLB in 2025. Last season, Caglianone batted .157 with seven home runs and 18 RBIs in 62 games. 

Team Puerto Rico

Lugo will be making his second career trip to the WBC in 2026, after pitching for Puerto Rico in 2017. At the 2017 tournament, Lugo appeared in three games, going 2-1 with a 4.20 ERA. Lugo recorded 12 strikeouts across 15 innings, including seven strikeouts in the Gold Medal game against the USA. Lugo was charged with the loss after allowing four runs across four innings, in an eventual 8-0 USA win. 

Last season, Lugo pitched in 26 games, posting a record of 8-7, an ERA of 4.15, and a WHIP of 1.29 across 145 ⅓ innings. The 36-year-old dealt with two separate trips to the injured list, so the Royals will want to make sure his health is 100% before leaving for the tournament. 

Team Dominican Republic  

After a 2025 season that saw Estévez lead MLB with 42 saves, the 33-year-old will be returning to the Dominican Republic team, looking for better results than 2023, a tournament that saw them knocked out in the first round. Dominican Republic finished third in Pool D after going 2-2. 

In 2025, Estévez went 4-5 with an ERA of 2.45 and a WHIP of 1.06. The Royals’ closer pitched in 67 games, recording 54 strikeouts.