The Blue Jays slugger finally gets his chance to play in the World Baseball Classic after a knee injury kept him out in 2023.
The Toronto Blue Jays announced that Vladimir Guerrero Jr. has been named to the Dominican Republic roster for the 2026 World Baseball Classic.
Back in December, Manager Albert Pujols remarked that Guerrero was among the very first players to agree to participate. Recently, it has been disclosed that this will be his debut in the event as he had withdrawn only a few days before the 2023 tournament began due to his knee.
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The choice was never really a question for Guerrero. Even though he was born in Montreal when his dad played for the Expos, he grew up in the Dominican Republic. His dad never got a chance to play in a World Baseball Classic and told him as a kid that if he ever got the opportunity, he should represent the Dominican Republic.
Dominican Republic Building Powerhouse Roster
Toronto Blue Jays first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr. | Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images
Among all the lineups for this tournament, the Dominican one could easily be considered the most talented ever. The addition of Guerrero makes this probably a line-up that is simply unstoppable offensively Juan Soto, Fernando Tatis Jr., Ketel Marte, Manny Machado, and Jos Ramrez are already in it. Sandy Alcantara and Cristopher Snchez will handle the pitching duties.
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Guerrero’s riding high after his October performance. He absolutely raked in the playoffs with a .397 average, eight homers, and 15 RBI across 18 games. He won ALCS MVP as the Blue Jays pushed all the way to Game 7 of the World Series before losing to the Dodgers.
That kind of postseason showing doesn’t happen often, and it put him right back in MVP conversations heading into next season.
Also, MLB Network has placed Guerrero at number 10 in their Top 100 Players list. This is his highest ranking since 2022. His spot in the list has been improved by three places from last year, and it shows the effect of his October performance on how the league sees him.
In 2023, the Dominican Republic fell quite hard, managing just a 2-2 record in pool play and getting knocked out in the first round. The Pool D schedule for them is from March 6-11 at loanDepot Park in Miami where they’ll face off against Venezuela, the Netherlands, Israel, and Nicaragua.
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It is the very same location where everything went wrong two years ago, so that gives an added motivation to this talent-packed squad.
Toronto locked up Guerrero last April with a 14-year, $500 million extension. His playoff heroics proved the deal was worth every dollar. The 26-year-old showed he can dominate on the biggest stage, and now he takes that confidence into international competition.
Several of his Blue Jays teammates will also represent their countries in the tournament, keeping everyone game-ready before Toronto’s aggressive push to win it all in 2026.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com/mlb/bluejays/onsi as Blue Jays Superstar Slugger Named to Dominican Republic Roster for World Baseball Classic.