Vertigo symptoms kept Mets pitcher Nolan McLean from Team USA workouts. He's expected to join soon after a successful throwing session.
The 2026 World Baseball Classic is beginning soon, which means a flurry of MLB players have left spring training to go participate in this year's event.
When the World Baseball Classic rosters were released, a total of 17 players from the New York Mets, including eight Major League players, were going to play.
Some big names include Juan Soto and Nolan McLean, so Mets manager Carlos Mendoza will be dealing with a thin roster for the time being in spring training.
On Monday, Team USA began the workouts as they prepare to make a run at the WBC title, but one big name was missing: Mets pitcher Nolan McLean.
Joel Sherman of The New York Post reported on Monday that McLean was "feeling under the weather" and had stayed with the Mets in Port St. Lucie.
On Tuesday, another update emerged, this time from Mark Feinsand of MLB.com, and it turns out McLean dealt with vertigo-like symptoms that prevented him from joining Team USA on Monday.
However, all signs point to McLean heading to Team USA and being ready soon.
McLean recently made his spring debut, and he performed well, striking out six batters in four shutout innings as the Mets defeated the Houston Astros.
Mendoza was impressed with McLean's debut this spring, and it comes on the heels of a stellar 2025 campaign.
In his rookie year, McLean went 5-1 with a 2.06 ERA and 57 strikeouts with a 1.04 WHIP in eight starts.
For Team USA, they are full of stars all around the roster, and in 2023, they fell just short by losing to Team Japan in the finals.
The plan for Team USA is to begin the World Baseball Classic with Logan Webb, Tarik Skubal, Paul Skenes and then McLean, in that order.
Mets' Clay Holmes is also on the roster for Team USA, so McLean has one teammate joining him for this year's event in a star-studded field.
However, Team USA manager Mark DeRosa revealed that McLean's scheduled start on March 10 against Italy could be pushed back, and that "we'll kind of reassess that day-to-day," DeRosa said via Mark Feinsand of MLB.com.
As of now, the expectation is that McLean should join Team USA soon, as long as his throwing session on Wednesday goes well. But, he might not start the fourth game as was initially the plan, but no clear decision has been announced just yet.