The 2026 World Baseball Classic officially kicks on March 5 and runs until the gold medal game on March 17. The 2023 event was an incredible success, with Team Japan defeating Team USA in one of the most memorable baseball games in recent memory.

The rosters for the current iteration of the Classic were officially released on Thursday night, and here's who will be leaving the Toronto Blue Jays during spring training to chase WBC gold.

For Guerrero, this will be his first time playing in the World Baseball Classic. He was on the roster for the DR in 2023, but pulled out because of a knee injury. He is eligible to play for Canada as well, but has elected to represent his Latin heritage. He grew up in the Dominican Republic but has not ruled out playing for Canada in the future.

Now 25 years old, Guerrero is a five-time All-Star, a two-time Silver Slugger and a Gold Glove winner. He helped lead the Blue Jays to the World Series last season, hitting .292 with 23 homers.

Signed to a four-year deal this offseason, Okamoto will look to help Japan capture gold for a second straight classic. One of the highest profile offensive signings of the winter, he had six seasons of 30 homers or more in the NPB, even as the league dealt with a "dead ball period."

The 28-year-old Rodriguez was signed to a a five-year deal worth $30 million before the 2024 season. While his 2024 campaign saw him really struggle as a starter, he was much better in 2025. Serving as a reliever, he went 3-2 with a 3.08 ERA in 66 games. He struck out 66 batters in 73.0 innings.

He was on the playoff roster for the American League Division Series and ALCS before being removed prior to the Fall Classic, and after the big additions of Dylan Cease and Cody Ponce, Rodriguez was outrighted off the 40-man roster in December. Tyler Rogers's signing complicates things for him even further.

He also represented Cuba in 2023, which helped him earn the contract from the Jays. The Jays have placed an interesting set of stipulations on him for this tournament and his future with the club remains unclear.

A 27-year-old native of Tijuana, Kirk hit .282 last season with 15 homers and 76 RBIs. He was also an integral part of Toronto's World Series run and he's a two-time All-Star and a Silver Slugger winner.

Now 29 years old, Clement is a five-year veteran of the Cleveland Guardians and Blue Jays. A career .260 hitter, he continued to break out in 2025, hitting .277 with nine home runs and 50 RBIs in 157 regular season games.

He broke out even further in the playoffs, hitting .411 with nine RBIs. His 30 hits are a postseason record for a single postseason. 

A six-year veteran of the New York Mets, Cleveland Guardians and Blue Jays, Gimenez is one of the slickest fielders in baseball. A one-time All-Star, he's also a three-time Gold Glover and a Platinum Glove winner. He's a .253 hitter who had seven home runs last season and he did have two huge homers in the ALCS win over the Seattle Mariners. He'll start at shortstop this season in the absence of Bo Bichette. 

Acquired by the Jays in 2024, he hit .249 with 18 homers and 53 RBIs in 2025. He played at four different levels, including a season-high 58 games at Triple-A Buffalo.

Now 29 years old, Stubbs has spent minimal time in the big leagues. He played in exactly one game for the 2025 Washington Nationals, and that's it. A former tenth round pick of the Houston Astros in the 2019 MLB Draft out of USC (Southern Cal), he is a .206 hitter in the minor leagues.

With Alejandro Kirk and Tyler Heineman set to handle the catching duties in the big leagues, Stubbs seems best suited for a minor league depth role.

Acquired from the Mariners before the 2023 season, he's yet to make his major league debut. The 25-year-old lefty went 3-9 with a 4.76 ERA in 2025, striking out 91 batters in 81.1 innings, mostly in Triple-A. 

The 24-year-old played only 26 games in 2025, hitting .296 with seven RBIs. He's a career .273 minor league hitter and he's appeared in 81 major league games with the Jays over the last two years, hitting five home runs.

An 18th-round pick in the 2025 draft out of Washington State, he hit .200 in 25 at-bats.

He hit .246 in 91 games for the Yankees Triple-A affiliate in 2025. He had four home runs and 31 RBIs.

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