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Kansas City Royals stars to compete in 2026 World Baseball Classic
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- Kansas City Royals stars to compete in 2026 World Baseball Classic
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — With the next World Baseball Classic ( WBC ) quickly approaching, several Kansas City Royals are set to take the field for their respective countries.
So far, seven Royals players have committed to playing for a variety of countries coming up in March, meaning they'll depart Spring Training in Surprise, Arizona a bit early, just before the start of the 2026 MLB season.
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Here's a look at which Royals are participating in the 2026 World Baseball Classic:
SS Bobby Witt Jr. – Team USA
The Royals' superstar shortstop was one of the first on this list to commit to his home country for the WBC, making the announcement back in June of 2025.
After a strong but limited showing in the 2023 WBC, Witt Jr. will likely take on a much larger role in '26 as Team USA's starting shortstop. In his previous WBC appearance, he was the youngest player on a star-studded USA team (22). He went 1-2 with an RBI double against Mexico, and served as a pinch runner in the 9th inning of the final before Japan's ace, Shohei Ohtani , struck out USA outfielder Mike Trout to seal Japan's win.
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Team USA will face Brazil on March 6 for its first game of the tournament.
C Salvador Perez , 3B Maikel Garcia – Team Venezuela
Veteran catcher and 2015 World Series MVP Salvador Perez returns to the WBC in 2026 for the fourth time as Team Venezuela's captain.
In his eight WBC games, Perez has been stellar for Venezuela's squad. He's hit for a .346 average with two home runs and eight RBIs. In 2023, Perez hit .429 with a homer, four doubles and six RBIs, earning him a selection to the All-WBC team following the tournament.
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Team Venezuela is getting another Royal for the 2026 games; the Royals' third baseman, Maikel Garcia, will suit up for the team as well.
Garcia, a La Sabana, Venezuela native, is set to make his WBC debut after a breakout season for KC in 2025, which earned him his first All-Star nod, his first Gold Glove and a five-year extension with the club.
Venezuela will begin the tournament with a game against the Netherlands on March 6 in Miami .
1B Vinnie Pasquantino , OF Jac Caglianone – Team Italy
Vinnie Pasquantino , a fan favorite in Kansas City, will be representing his Italian heritage in the 2026 WBC.
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Like Witt Jr., Pasquantino also saw his first WBC action in 2023's games, but will see a larger role in 2026; he's considered to be the clear choice to start at first base for Italy's squad, which hit just a single home run in the 2023 games.
Pasquantino went 4-20 (.200) in the '23 WBC and was also a victim of Ohtani's team, falling to Japan in the quarterfinal round.
Team Italy and Team USA never faced off that year, but with both teams in Pool B this year, they'll play against each other this year on March 10 in Houston , Texas .
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Pasquantino has another Royal joining him this year as well. Second-year slugger Jac Caglianone is set to represent Italy in March as well.
While it'll be Cags' first WBC, his power-hitting metrics are welcomed to a team that struggled to get the ball past the fences in 2023.
The year 2025 was a year of ups and downs for Caglianone, who flew through the Royals' minor league system but failed to effectively translate his skills at the big league level. However, with fans and seemingly the Royals organization banking on him to figure out major league pitching to a better degree in 2026, the WBC will be a good chance to see what the 22-year-old worked on over the offseason.
Team Italy will play Brazil's team in its first game of the WBC on March 3.
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SP Seth Lugo – Team Puerto Rico
Seth Lugo announced that he'll pitch for Puerto Rico in the 2026 WBC, which will be his second such tournament, back in April of last year.
In the 2017 WBC, Lugo also pitched for Puerto Rico. He started three games for the club, racking up a 4.20 ERA with 12 strikeouts across 15 innings. Interestingly, Lugo took the mound in the 2017 WBC final versus Team USA, but took the loss.
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Lugo's Puerto Rico squad will open the tournament against Colombia on March 6.
RP Carlos Estevez – Team Dominican Republic
The Kansas City Royals' closer, All-Star and the MLB's 2025 saves leader joined Team Dominican Republic on Thursday afternoon as well.
Estevez also participated in the 2023 WBC, where the DR was eliminated from the tournament in just the first round, despite sending major league stars like Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Juan Soto to the field. The DR was eliminated after losses to Puerto Rico and Salvy's Team Venezuela.
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Estevez and Team Dominican Republic will begin play in Pool D with a game vs. Nicaragua on March 6.
Eligibility
While some players participating in this year's WBC are originally from the countries they'll be representing, others, including the majority of the Royals, have lived in the United States their entire lives. However, to be eligible to represent a country, there are seven routes a player can take:
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Citizenship
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Permanent legal residency
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Birthplace
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Parental heritage
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Previous representation
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Future citizenship/documentation
For example, outside of Perez, Garcia and Estevez, who are all natives of their respective countries, no other non-USA team member actually comes from the countries they're representing. Caglianone is from Florida, Lugo is from Louisiana and Pasquantino is from Virginia.
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However, Pasquantino is of Italian heritage on his father's side, Caglianone is of Italian descent on his father's side and Lugo gets his Puerto Rican heritage from his father.
For a more detailed look at the WBC eligibility rules, click here .
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