Seattle Mariners outfielder Julio Rodriguez has already left the team's spring training complex to join his Dominican Republic teammates in preparation for the World Baseball Classic, which begins on March 5.

Photos were posted of Rodriguez on a plane with other DR players like Fernando Tatis Jr. and Manny Machado. 

This will be the third time that Rodriguez has represented the Dominican Republic on the international stage: He played in the 2023 World Baseball Classic and also played in the Tokyo Olympics as a minor leaguer. Those were scheduled for 2020 but rescheduled to 2021 because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Rodriguez appeared in four Cactus League games for the Mariners, hitting .556 (5-for-9) with three doubles, three RBIs and two walks. As we noted from our trip to Peoria, Ariz., he looks great at the plate.

Right now, things look really good. He's clearly seeing the ball well. He's hitting it the other way. He's hitting it with authority. He looks very, very comfortable. And, by the way, to me at least, his setup looks a little bit different.."

We also spoke with ESPN MLB Insider Buster Olney about Rodriguez's hot spring on the most recent episode of the 'Refuse to Lose' podcast:

Still just 25 years old, Rodriguez is one of the top players in baseball. A two-time Silver Slugger and a three-time All-Star, he's a Rookie of the Year winner who also has three Top-10 MVP finishes under his belt.

He hit .267 with 32 homers and 95 RBIs a season ago as the Mariners got to the American League Championship Series for the first time since 2001.

He has two seasons of 30 homers or more on his resume and three seasons of 25 stolen bases or more.

He'll be a centerpiece of the M's lineup and a centerpiece of the talented Dominican Republic lineup.

The DR enters the tournament as one of the favorites alongside Japan and the United States. The Dominican Republic won the tournament in 2013.

Japan has won three of the five WBC titles (2006, 2009, 2023), while the United States won in 2017.

The Dominican Republic will begin play on March 6, but they will have an exhibition on March 4 against the Detroit Tigers in Santo Domingo, DR.

Rodriguez and his teammates will play Nicaragua in that March 6 matchup. Game time is 7 p.m. ET.

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