When the World Baseball Classic (WBC) kicks off on March 5, smack dab in the middle of MLB spring training, the Milwaukee Brewers are going to be short-handed in their exhibition games down in Arizona. The commitments to the WBC are piling up for the Brewers, which is a testament to just how strong their roster is heading into the 2026 campaign.

Yesterday, it was officially confirmed that Jackson Chourio will compete for Team Venezuela in the international tournament, though his participation had been rumored for quite some time. He joins Brewers like Brice Turang (Team USA), Tyler Black (Team Canada), and Carlos Rodriguez (Team Nicaragua) as players on Milwaukee’s 40-man roster who have officially committed to play in the 2026 WBC. Rosters are officially due next Tuesday, so expect a few more commitments to trickle in during the coming days.

While Rodriguez participated in the 2023 WBC, Turang, Black, and Chourio are all making their WBC debuts this year. Earlier today, the Brewers revealed that another member of the 40-man will be making his WBC debut this year as well. As announced by the team on the social media platform X, starting shortstop Joey Ortiz will suit up for Team Mexico this year, joining a roster that includes several former Brewers.

Joey O will rep Mexico at the #WorldBaseballClassic 🇲🇽 pic.twitter.com/DoKVVTwXZQ

— Milwaukee Brewers (@Brewers) January 30, 2026Joey Ortiz set to join Rowdy Tellez and Luis Urías in Team Mexico’s infield group during upcoming World Baseball Classic

Earlier this month, former Brewers Luis Urías and Rowdy Tellez announced that they are joining Team Mexico for the 2026 WBC, just as they did back in 2023. Though Team Mexico’s roster isn’t fully set right now, if Tellez mans first base, Urías covers the hot corner, and Ortiz slots in as the team’s shortstop, 3/4 of their starting infield could be players who used to or currently play for the Brewers. Luis’ brother Ramón could be the team’s starting second baseman, which would certainly make Team Mexico’s infield group a fun one to watch for Brewers fans.

It’s an excellent opportunity for Ortiz to get off on the right foot in 2026 after a difficult season at the plate for the Brewers in 2025. The Brewers remain confident in his abilities going forward, and the WBC could serve as a great litmus test for where the third-year shortstop stands heading into the 2026 campaign. That said, it’s unfair to judge a player’s readiness for the MLB season based on their performance in the WBC. Different players take different amounts of time to ramp up for the grueling 162-game regular season, so no conclusions should officially be drawn from Ortiz’s performance next March.

For Brewers fans who are counting down the days to Opening Day (55 days), the WBC offers a nice distraction of meaningful baseball during the first two weeks of March. That distraction is made even better by the fact that many Brewers have already committed to play in the tournament and several more are expected to before next week’s deadline.