For the second time already in his career, star Seattle Mariners center fielder Julio Rodríguez will play in the World Baseball Classic.
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The announcement that Rodríguez will again play for his native Dominican Republic was revealed Friday morning in a social media post by MLB.
The J-Rod Show will be on display at the #WorldBaseballClassic!
Julio Rodríguez is suiting up for Team Dominican Republic! 🇩🇴 pic.twitter.com/nL6wkBfiPQ
— MLB (@MLB) January 30, 2026
Rodríguez played in the 2023 WBC, going 5 for 18 (.278) at the plate with a double in four games. He also had an impressive diving catch to rob Puerto Rico’s Javier Baez of extra bases.
The 25-year-old Rodríguez is coming off of one of his best seasons in the big leagues. He hit .267 with a .798 OPS, tied his career-high with 32 home runs and had a career-best 6.8 fWAR. He also had 30 stolen bases, giving him his second 30/30 season (30 homers and 30 steals) and fourth 20/20 season. Rodríguez is the only player in baseball history to begin his career with four consecutive 20/20 seasons, and is the only Mariners player ever with four 20/20 seasons.
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Rodríguez had a huge second half to the 2025 season, hitting .290 with 19 homers, 13 steals and a .901 OPS in 65 games after the All-Star break to help Seattle surge to its first AL West division title in 21 years. In the postseason, he hit .208 with four homers, two doubles, nine RBIs and an .809 OPS in 12 games.
With Rodríguez’s announcement, the Mariners now have four players who have officially declared for the World Baseball Classic. The others are catcher Cal Raleigh and relief pitcher Gabe Speier playing for Team USA, and outfielder Randy Arozarena playing for Team Mexico.
Additionally, Sportsnet reported last month that a pair of Mariners are set to play for Team Canada: first baseman Josh Naylor and relief pitcher Matt Brash. Former M’s starting pitcher James Paxton will also play for Canada, per the Sportsnet report.
Pool play for the 2026 World Baseball Classic begins on March 4. Rodríguez and the Dominican Republic team will be part of Pool D, which will play at loanDepot Park, home of the Miami Marlins. The other Pool D teams are Israel, Netherlands, Nicaragua and Venezuela.
The USA will be in Pool B at Houston’s Daikin Park along with Brazil, Great Britain, Italy and Mexico, while Canada will be in Pool A along with Colombia, Cuba, Panama and the home Puerto Rico team at Hiram Bithorn Stadium in San Juan.
The top two teams from each pool will advance to quarterfinal games in either Miami or Houston on March 13-14. The semifinal and championship games will be played in Miami from March 15-17.
The Mariners will likely have more players announced as WBC participants before the tournament. Click here to read about which M’s players are candidates.
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