What to expect from Puerto Rico for the 2026 World Classic?
While it is true that the absences of several superstars will be noted, Puerto Rico has tradition and plays with the intensity of its manager.
The biggest discussion around the roster of Puerto Rico It has revolved around the absences of Francisco Lindor and Carlos Correa and the insurance controversy, that of Kike Hernández due to surgery and that of Javy Báez due to a doping issue from the last tournament that was not resolved in time.
Having turned that page, it is time to meet the players who will be present in this edition beyond the main star, the multiple gold glove-winning third baseman Nolan Arenado, the catcher Martin ‘Machete’ Maldonado and the luxury closer, Edwin Díaz.
How far can Puerto Ricans go in the 2026 World Baseball Classic?
The tradition that the Puerto Rican team has built in this event cannot be underestimated, in which it has always reached the second round and in which it was a finalist in 2013 and 2017, with two different scenarios: in the first, it was a team of veterans led by Carlos Beltrán and Yadier Molina; in the second, with a team of rising stars led by Correa, Lindor and Báez, with the inspiration of captain Molina.
Do they have the resources to continue that success? Let’s see.
Quantity and quality in pitching
Because of pitch and inning control rules, having a top-notch rotation is not as essential as having a good supporting cast for the middle innings. The Puerto Ricans’ projected rotation includes Seth Lugo, José De León, Elmer Rodríguez and Eduardo Rivera. For the second round, José Berríos could join.
Lugo came in second in Cy Young voting in 2024, but had an up-and-down year that included two trips to the disabled list in 2025. De León had a down year in Triple A (0-9, 6.93 ERA), but reclaimed himself with a late-season cameo appearance with the Boston Red Sox and a good winter season (2-3, 1.74 ERA, 29 strikeouts in 31 IP). with the Creoles of Caguas. In case you’ve forgotten, Berríos was the starter for Puerto Rico’s combined no-hitter against Israel in 2023, with 10 strikeouts in 5.2 innings.
Rodriguez jumped from Class A to Triple A in 2025 and has had two strong appearances in Yankees spring training, while Rivera split the year between strong Class A and Double A with the Red Sox.
The greatest strength, however, is in the bullpen, one of the Puerto Ricans’ traditionally underrated areas. Starting from back to front, ninth and eighth inning, closer Edwin Díaz is one of the best in this business. And setup man Fernando Cruz established himself as a reliable reliever (2-3, 3.56 ERA, 1.188 WHIP, 72 strikeouts in 48 innings) for the Yankees in 2025.
For the middle innings, manager Yadier Molina has an army of 12 pitchers for every situation and every day. Molina combined seven pitchers in the exhibition game on Tuesday the 3rd against Boston. The first three (Rodríguez, De León and Jovani Morán) took the game into the fifth inning with just one hit allowed en route to a 5-3 victory.
Arenado and the new faces
In the absence of Lindor and Correa, Nolan Arenado emerges as the great figure of the Puerto Rican lineup. Regardless of whether he had an up-and-down season in 2025, you can’t underestimate a winner of 10 Gold Gloves and six Silver Sluggers as a third baseman.
Outside of there, the most recognized names are on the coaching staff, which is a veritable parade of All-Stars: Hall of Famer Edgar Martínez, and past All-Stars Juan ‘Igor’ González, Sandy Alomar Jr. and Joey Cora, join manager Yadier Molina in a group completed by former Major League pitchers Ricky Bones and Juan Nieves and Rangers hitting coach Alex Cintrón
Along with Arenado, the infield features Emmanuel Rivera, a confident third base defender who can play first base, and prospects Edwin Arroyo, Luis Vázquez and Darrell Hernáiz around second base. Vázques and Hernáiz only have 142 games of Major League experience between them, while Arroyo, the No. 8 prospect in the Cincinnati Reds organization, has yet to set foot on a diamond in the Majors. It remains to be seen how much this trio will grow to make Báez, Correa and Lindor forget.
The catching field will be well taken care of by Martín ‘Machete’ Maldonado and Christian Vázquez, who not only have privileged arms to intimidate the runners on the bases, but are also excellent handlers of the pitchers and bring experience to a squad that needs it on the field.
Eddie Rosario and Heliot Ramos anchor the outfield, with MJ Maldonado and prospect Carlos Cortés getting opportunities. Rosario remains a free agent, but he may have opened the eyes of some organizations with two singles and a perfect throw from left field to the plate to close the seventh inning against Boston.
There is no doubt that the absence of Lindor, Correa, Hernández and Báez are a strong blow, mainly on the offensive level. But there is still timely batting and a lot of intensity from innings 1 to 9.
Possibilities in your group
The Puerto Ricans play in Group A, and face in order Colombia (Friday, March 6), Panama (Saturday, 7), Cuba (Monday, 9) and Canada (Tuesday, 10). The favorite on paper in the group is Canada, which would leave one position for the Caribbean rivals. The advantage of the bullpen, the seniority of Arenado, Maldonado and Díaz and the fact that they play for Hiram Bithorn tilts the balance towards the new version of ‘Team Rubio’, despite the notable absences.
An X factor for Puerto Rico is the manager. Molina knows baseball from A to Z, from top to bottom and was already a manager on the field when he debuted in the Majors in 2004. But knowledge is not his only virtue: ‘El Capitan’ inspires everyone; from the most experienced veteran to the youngest player. If Puerto Rico did not meet expectations, many factors can be mentioned, but none will be that they did not play 100 percent in each inning. That leadership is provided by Molina.
Reserved but optimistic forecast
It is a short tournament, we know that anyone can surprise and Cuba demonstrated that from the shot, reaching the final in 2006. The Puerto Ricans have tradition, they know how to play baseball and they play with an intensity unparalleled in this event. They must advance to the second round and in this, although they are not the favorites, you cannot make the mistake of underestimating them in a single elimination round because they do not know half of their lineup.
