Stephen Vogt explains how the Cleveland Guardians will manage players coming in and out of camp because of the 2026 World Baseball Classic.
Spring Training will get underway in just a few days, but this year’s training camp will look much different than previous seasons, with the World Baseball Classic also starting in just over a month.
This tri-annual competition will disrupt just about every MLB team, including the Cleveland Guardians, which has multiple players competing in the 2026 Classic.
This year is Stephen Vogt’s first time managing the team with the Classic underway, and even he admitted he’s not sure exactly how everything will look with players coming into camp and then departing for their national teams. However,
“First of all, I couldn't be more happy for our players that are going to represent their countries. I mean, what a cool event, what a great opportunity for them to go play with, play with people from their same country and get to go represent that right before the season,” explained Vogt.
“I don't know [how it will look]. This is the first time I'm going through it. So I've asked a number of people, but they're gonna play as much as they can before they leave, and then when they get back, we'll plug them right back in. I'm excited for our players that are going to play and we've got some really fun opportunities for some of our guys. So, uh, we're gonna feel it out and we're just gonna continue to keep our heads down and work and implement things when we can.”
The most notable players who will miss time competing in the World Baseball Classic are Bo Naylor, Matt Festa, and Travis Bazzana, all of whom are on the big-league roster or could be early in the season. Cleveland also has several other minor league players competing.
Bo playing for Team Canada will actually allow David Fry to get more reps behind the plate, which could be good for him, considering the 30-year-old was unable to play the field at all in 2025.
The WBC is obviously a great opportunity for players to compete and show pride for their home countries, and as Vogt said, it’s an honor for them to experience that.
As for the Guardians, it seems like they’ll take implementing work for the season day by day, and do as much as they can when those players are, in fact, in Goodyear.
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