New York Mets shortstop Francisco Lindor will once again captain Team Puerto Rico in the 2026 World Baseball Classic, he announced Wednesday. Lindor served as team captain in the 2023 WBC, when Puerto Rico was eliminated by Mexico in the quarterfinals. He was also part of the 2017 WBC team that lost to USA in the Championship Game.
Here is Lindor's announcement:
In 12 career WBC games, Lindor is 15 for 47 (.318) with a double, a triple, two home runs, and 9 RBI. He served as Puerto Rico's shortstop in both 2017 and 2023, with Carlos Correa and Javier Báez shifting elsewhere on the infield. Mets closer Edwin Díaz has expressed in interest in the 2026 WBC despite suffering a season-ending knee injury in the 2023 event.
Early in spring training the Mets internally discussed the possibility of naming Lindor team captain, though the decision was put on hold, according to MLB.com. Lindor is in his fifth season with the Mets. Last year, he authored a .273/.344/.500 batting line with 33 home runs and 29 steals en route to being voting NL MVP runner-up to Shohei Ohtani.
Lindor and Team Puerto Rico will open the WBC in San Juan on March 6, 2026. Puerto will be in Pool A along with Canada, Colombia, Cuba, and Mexico. The Championship Game is scheduled for March 17 at loanDepot Park in Miami.
New York Yankees slugger Aaron Judge was named Team USA's captain for the 2026 WBC earlier this week. Ohtani and Team Japan ran the table to win the 2023 WBC title.
