According to new reports out of the Dominican Republic, Toronto Blue Jays star Vladimir Guerrero Jr. will represent the Dominican Republic at the upcoming World Baseball Classic. The WBC will take place from March 5-17, 2026 at various sites around the world.

The finals will be played on March 17 in Miami, Fla.

What you need to know about the tournament

--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.

--The Dominicans will be one of the favorites in the tournament, and they will participate in Pool D with Venezuela, the Netherlands, Israel and Nicaragua. The top two teams from each of the four pools will advance to the quarterfinals.

--The Dominican Republic won the tournament in 2013 but hasn't won since. Japan won in 2006 and 2009, with the United States winning in 2017. Japan won again in 2023, when the tournament was pushed back because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

How it impacts the Blue Jays

Significantly, potentially.

The World Baseball Classic always presents the risk of injury, so any player who goes is potentially putting themselves in harms way. Furthermore, Guerrero just played into November with the Blue Jays and now has to have himself ready to play earlier than usual in the offseason.

Given the length of the 2025 MLB season and the early prep for the WBC, is Guerrero at greater risk of injury? How about fatigue heading into 2026?

And finally, with Guerrero leaving camp for between 2-3 weeks, the Blue Jays will be without a key team leader as they attempt to get over a brutal World Series loss.

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About Guerrero's 2025

Well, he signed a $500 million contract extension in April and then proceeded to help the Jays get within minutes of their first World Series title since 1993, so it was a pretty good year. He hit .292 for the season with 23 homers and 84 RBIs, but then blew up in the playoffs, hitting .529 in the division series, .385 in the ALCS and .333 in the World Series. He had eight home runs and 16 RBIs.

What other Jays could play in the WBC?

Any number of players would be good choices for their national teams with Anthony Santander and Andres Gimenez (Venezuela) possible representatives. Dylan Cease, Kevin Gausman and Jeff Hoffman are all possible choices for Team USA and Alejandro Kirk is expected to play for Mexico.

If Bo Bichette is to come back to Toronto, then he is expected to represent Brazil. 

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