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Riley Greene won’t play in 2026 WBC after turning down Puerto Rico
What to make of Detroit Tigers pitching strategy in free agency
On “Days of Roar,” Evan Petzold and Chris Brown break down the Detroit Tigers’ opportunistic approach to targeting pitchers ahead of spring training.
Detroit Tigers outfielder Riley Greene won’t participate in the 2026 World Baseball Classic.
The 25-year-old declined an invitation from Team Puerto Rico, according to a person with knowledge of the situation. He wanted to compete for Team USA – as he did as a teenager at the 2018 Pan-American Championships – but he didn’t receive an invitation.
He also turned down Team Puerto Rico for the 2023 WBC.
Greene is eligible to play for Puerto Rico through his mother, Lisa Greene.
“I know it would be a transition for him, being able to share the same clubhouse with a lot of Latino guys,” Carlos Beltrán, a Hall of Fame outfielder and Team Puerto Rico’s general manager, said Dec. 9 regarding his recruitment pitch. “We can be loud, but at the end of the day, it’s going to be fun.”
The WBC starts March 5 and ends March 17.
Therefore, Greene will spend all of spring training with the Tigers in Lakeland, Florida, preparing for Opening Day on March 26 against the San Diego Padres at Petco Park in San Diego.
The first full-squad workout is Feb. 15 at the Tigers’ complex.
Greene – the No. 5 overall pick in the 2019 draft – has the potential to develop into a superstar player in the 2026 season after back-to-back All-Star appearances in 2024-25. He became one of 11 MLB players to hit at least 36 home runs in 2025, though he also set a franchise record with 201 strikeouts in 157 games.
Cleaning up his 30.7% strikeout rate is the best path to superstardom, but Team Puerto Rico wanted him for his proven power production.
Instead, they’ll have to find it elsewhere.
“It would be incredible,” Beltrán said. “He is a run producer. He’s very talented. I love the way he plays. He plays hard, and he has a lot of passion. I would be very excited to come out with him – because he’s a power bat.”
For the 2026 WBC, Toronto Blue Jays outfielder George Springer won’t play for Team Puerto Rico, but Arizona Diamondbacks third baseman Nolan Arenado will participate. Springer and Arenado were born in the United States, but they’re eligible for both Team USA and Team Puerto Rico through family ties – just like Greene.
Arenado represented Team USA in 2017 and 2023, but Team USA didn’t invite him in 2026.
That’s why he switched to Team Puerto Rico.
“I’ve already had some pretty harsh DMs coming at me by some people,” Arenado said Jan. 27 on the “Foul Territory” show. “I had a couple of people say I’m a traitor. I’m like, ‘Listen, I didn’t get asked to play for USA.’ It’s baseball. It’s not a big deal. I’m excited to play for Puerto Rico, and if we end up playing USA, I think that’d be pretty cool.”
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Team Puerto Rico – managed by MLB legend Yadier Molina, a former teammate of Arenado with the St. Louis Cardinals – will compete in Pool A at Hiram Bithorn Stadium in San Juan, Puerto Rico, alongside Cuba, Canada, Panama and Colombia. The top two teams from each of the four pools will advance to the single-elimination bracket.
The 2026 WBC championship is March 17 at loanDepot Park in Miami.
Contact Evan Petzold at epetzold@freepress.com or follow him @EvanPetzold.
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