Every Pirates player participating in the World Baseball Classic (and fans' worry level)

Like the Olympics, the World Baseball Classic provides an opportunity to represent one’s home country and to gain personal and national acclaim. It also, unfortunately, poses a significant risk to players as they tune up for the 2026 MLB season.

For a club like the Pirates, who need every player to contribute in order to make a push this year, the WBC is a time of both excitement and trepidation. Pittsburgh has a whopping 15 players suiting up in the tournament.

Paul Skenes is clearly keen on adding to his trophy cabinet, and based on the roster of Team USA, he’ll have a strong opportunity to do so. If the Americans lift a trophy, it will be in no small part due to Skenes’ efforts on the field and off. The former Air Force cadet recruited fellow ace Tarik Skubal and has been a vocal advocate for participation in the WBC. The tournament rules, which restrict pitch counts, will hopefully protect Skenes from any wear and tear.

Several Pirates players have an opportunity to win glory (or risk injury) at the World Baseball Classic.

The bulk of the Pirates’ representatives will take the field for the Dominican Republic. The experience may be most valuable for Oneil Cruz, who has already begun to benefit from the mentorship of fellow Dominican (although non-WBC player) Marcell Ozuna.

For two weeks, Cruz will be able to look to veterans like Manny Machado, Carlos Santana, and manager Albert Pujols for further guidance. That certainly can't hurt.

The other Bucs will fill out the DR’s bullpen, and an injury to any of this contingent would be devastating for Pittsburgh.. Pirates fans will get to see Dennis Santana, who has had a career resurgence since being traded to Pittsburgh in 2024, work alongside newcomer Gregory Soto. Yohan Ramirez is part of the designated pitcher pool and could be called into action if the Dominican Republic advances out of the group stage.

The Italian team also boasts a significant number of Pirates players. Reliever Kyle Nicholas is the most familiar name on the roster and is vying for a bullpen spot in spring training. Reliever Joe La Sorsa will likely be minor league bullpen depth in 2026, while Alessandro Ercolani, who reached Double-A last season, is hoping to become the first San Marino native to play in the Majors.

The other two notable names from the Pirates' big league roster at the WBC are Spencer Horwitz (Israel) and Nick Gonzales (Mexico), both of whom missed time in 2025 due to injury but arrived to spring training fully healthy. Now Horwitz and Gonzales are fighting for playing time on the infield with Henry Davis, Ryan O’Hearn, Brandon Lowe, Nick Yorke, and Jared Triolo.

The rest of the WBC participants are not really on Pittsburgh’s immediate radar. Seventeen-year-old Pietro Albanez-Rienzo (Brazil) has yet to play a game in the Pirates’ system. Emmanuel Chapman (Cuba), Po-Yu Chen (Chinese Taipei), and Oddanier Mosqueda (Venezuela) are likely headed to Triple-A, and Antwone Kelly (The Netherlands) — a top prospect — will probably start in Double-A Altoona in 2026.