Why Nolan Arenado is playing for Puerto Rico in 2026 World Baseball Classic

Gabe Lacques, USA TODAYFri, March 6, 2026 at 11:07 AM UTC

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There’s no point, Nolan Arenado figured, in waiting for a phone call that wasn’t likely to come.

That’s one reason why Arenado, after twice playing for Team USA in the World Baseball Classic, is representing Puerto Rico in this year’s edition.

His mother is the other driving force.

Arenado’s father is Cuban and his mother Puerto Rican, but the California native represented Team USA with distinction in two WBCs – as part of their 2017 championship squad, and then in 2023 contributing 10 hits and a 1.025 OPS for the squad that fell just short in the title game against Japan.

Arenado finished third in NL MVP voting in 2022, hitting 30 homers and driving in 103 runs for the St. Louis Cardinals; he was an easy pick as Team USA’s primary third baseman in 2023 and went on to an eighth All-Star Game selection that summer.

Yet his mid-30s plateau had arrived.

As his WAR dropped from 7.9 in 2022 to 1.3 as a 34-year-old in 2025, Arenado wondered if his old gig for Team USA had expired.

Sure enough, the Americans called on Alex Bregman and Gunnar Henderson to man the hot corner, leaving an opening for his former Cardinals teammate Yadier Molina, the manager of Puerto Rico’s WBC squad.

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“I wanted to play for USA again, but I didn’t get the call," Arenado told USA TODAY Sports this spring. “Honestly, I didn’t deserve the call. And when Yadi called me about it, I felt a little hesitant about it because I played on USA, and I was recovering from a shoulder surgery.

“But my mom really wanted me to do it, and my family kept telling me to do it."

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So, Arenado will don different shades of red and blue, on behalf of the Boricua.

Just like that, he’s by far the most accomplished player on his WBC squad, with Puerto Rico’s infield dotted with part-time major leaguers such as Emmanuel Rivera and Darell Hernaiz.

Still, Puerto Rico has a knack for WBC success – it joins Team USA, Japan and Cuba as the only countries to advance out of pool play in all five tournaments. And Arenado himself has participated in the past two championship games.

And, with Carlos Correa failing to obtain insurance for the tournament, Arenado will be at his familiar third base position, aiming to glean the benefits of full go baseball as he prepares for his first season with his third team, the Arizona Diamondbacks.

“I love it, for me, selfishly, it's the energy," says Arenado. “It gets you mentally ready for the season. Obviously, the stakes are high right away, which is tough, but it brings that intensity. It brings the focus that you only get when opening day of the season starts.

“I really think it’s beneficial."

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Why Nolan Arenado is on Puerto Rican team after prior USA WBC service

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