LAKELAND, Fla. — Javier Báez grew up watching Puerto Rico host the World Baseball Classic. This spring, as the tournament returns to the island for the first time since 2013, he won’t be there.

Báez had hoped to represent Puerto Rico in front of family and friends. Instead, he will remain in spring training, serving a suspension tied to a positive marijuana test during the previous WBC in 2023.

The tournament operates under the World Anti-Doping Agency code, administered by the International Testing Agency. MLB removed marijuana from its list of drugs of abuse before the 2020 season, but the ITA still tests for it. Báez is listed among a handful of MLB players cited for marijuana violations on the agency’s website.

“I don’t want to point fingers at anybody because this is all my fault. I’m the one that failed the test and the rules over there,” he said Tuesday in his first session with reporters since arriving in Lakeland.

“It’s just really frustrating that I won’t be able to be there and to be part of this. It’s been a long, long time that we haven’t played this tournament in Puerto Rico.”

Báez remembers watching from the stands in 2006 as his cousin, Dicky González, pitched for Puerto Rico. He played for the Puerto Rican team in 2023.

“To have the chance to be part of that, and now it’s taken away from me, it really hurts,” Báez said. “It really hurts my family, my reputation.”

He had apparently been working on an appeal that he hoped would be successful until recently.

“This offseason I really worked out to be ready for the WBC. Now I’m ready to go, so I’ve got to focus on my spring training and being ready for the season,” he said.

Asked whether such a suspension might be an overly harsh penalty for marijuana in 2026, Báez said: “I understand there are different sports. Those rules are not for us, they’re for different sports. It’s not like I was taking steroids or anything. They (made) that decision. I’m fine with it. I mean, I’m not fine with it. I just keep my mouth shut.”

Báez said he decided against putting out a statement because he didn’t want it to get misinterpreted or twisted.

“There’s a lot of people mad, there’s a lot of people frustrated, but it doesn’t hurt (anyone) more than it hurts me,” Báez said. “So it’s time to turn the page and just get ready for this season and try and stay healthy.”

Báez, 33, was an All-Star outfielder in 2025 and, although his bat cooled considerably after the break, he still had his best overall season since his Tigers debut in 2022.

He enters 2026 primarily as a shortstop, but his ability to move around the field gives manager A.J. Hinch flexibility. Early in camp, Báez has worked at shortstop and third base and shagged fly balls in center field.

“Wherever A.J. puts me, I’ll be there, be trying my best,” Báez said.

Hinch said that versatility has become part of Báez’s value.

“One of the underrated aspects of our team is the willingness to do anything,” Hinch said. “You’ll see him at multiple infield positions. You’ll see him in center field this spring and we’ll make a determination on how it all plays out, what’s best for us to win.”

Báez ended his 2024 season by undergoing right hip arthroscopic surgery, and the decision paid off. He was healthier in 2025 and said he feels strong entering camp.

“Once I got the surgery and I got healthy and came back to play the way I can play,” he said. “I’m feeling good right now.”