The 2026 World Baseball Classic will not come and go without a Texas Rangers player participating.
Rangers outfielder Alejandro Osuna will represent Team Mexico, playing in the World Baseball Classic for the first time in his career.
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Last season, the Rangers called up Osuna after struggling offensively early in the season when it came to their overall plate approach.
Osuna played in 63 games, hitting .212 with a .313 on-base percentage, a .278 slugging percentage, two home runs, and 15 RBI.
Defensively, Osuna showed his strong glove playing in the outfield with good ball-reading skills and solid range.
Over the winter, Osuna played winter ball in Mexico, hitting .339 with an on-base percentage of .486 and a slugging percentage of .411.
During the last World Baseball Classic, Team Mexico was the biggest positive surprise of the tournament as they took down Team USA in the group stage, before beating Puerto Rico in a thriller during the quarter finals.
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Mexico nearly knocked off Shohei Ohtani and eventual champion Team Japan in the semifinals to advance to the championship.
Now, Osuna will try to help Team Mexico make it to the finals for the first time in World Baseball Classic history.
Osuna will be managed by former Ranger Benji Gil, who played for four years in Arlington from 1993 to 1997.
As for the 2026 Rangers, Osuna will be competing for a bench role as the outfield seems pretty set with Wyatt Langford, Evan Carter, and Brandon Nimmo.
It’ll be interesting to see whether or not Osuna is a player the Rangers feel comfortable enough with that he can sit on the bench for periods of time and still go in and be effective.
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As is often the case with younger players, the Rangers could opt to start him in Triple-A Round Rock to get everyday reps.
However, Osuna will certainly have a chance to earn his spot in Spring Training, and a good showing in the WBC in high-stakes games will certainly get the Rangers’ attention.
Osuna will be the only Rangers player to play in the 2026 WBC as things currently stand, with five days until pitchers and catchers report to Surprise for Spring Training.
Starting pitcher Jack Leiter had an invite to play for Team USA, which he was prepared to accept. Due to insurance issues, which have been a recurring thing across this year’s WBC, he will not be able to play.
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