One of the first major events on the baseball calendar in 2026 is the World Baseball Classic. The tournament between countries was last held in 2023, with Team Japan defeating Team USA in a thrilling conclusion
to a very entertaining tournament overall. It produced some legendary moments, such as Shohei Ohtani’s strikeout of Mike Trout to clinch the title, and unfortunately some devastating injuries, such as Edwin Diaz suffering a torn ACL that caused him to miss all of the 2023 MLB season.
The Phillies saw a number of their players take part back in 2023, most notably Trea Turner, Kyle Schwarber, and J.T. Realmuto on Team USA. Turner in particular had a monster showing, with his go-ahead grand slam in the eighth inning against Venezuela one of the most memorable moments pf the entire tournament. But they weren’t the only Phillies to participate, as Taijuan Walker appeared for Team Mexico and Ranger Suárez as well as José Alvarado agreed to pitch for Team Venezuela, but Suárez did not appear due to injury.
So far for the 2026 tournament, the Phillies are shaping up to be well represented once again. Schwarber is making his return to Team USA, but he is being joined by Bryce Harper in his first appearance in the tournament. It’s no surprise that Harper is participating, as his recovery from Tommy John surgery sidelined him in 2023 and he is an outspoken proponent of trying to get baseball into the Olympics. Harper and Schwarber join a Team USA roster that is arguably more impressive than last time, as it features Paul Skenes, Tarik Skubal, Cal Raleigh, and captain Aaron Judge among others.
There will likely be more Phillies to announce their intent to appear in the tournament for their various countries, but one player that will not is Jhoan Duran. The All-Star closer declined to pitch for the Dominican Republic, citing his lack of a long-term contract as the reason why. Duran is still under contract for the next two seasons via arbitration and won’t be a free agent until after 2027 at the age of 30. It’s a totally defensible position, as Duran could be looking at a massive payday in the coming years and does not want to jeopardize his health in an exhibition tournament.
The WBC produced a lot of buzz in 2023 and was undoubtedly good for the game of baseball. But it’s hard to fault some front offices and fans being nervous about players’ health playing in games that don’t factor into the MLB season. So, how do you feel about Phillies players participating in the World Baseball Classic?
