PHOENIX — The last time Edwin Diaz took center stage in the World Baseball Classic, tragedy occurred. Moments after recording the final out in a thrilling victory against the Dominican Republic, Diaz crumpled to the ground in the middle of bobbing teammates, clutching his right knee, which had sustained a torn patellar tendon.
His 2023 season with the New York Mets was over before it began. And yet, Diaz called his decision to once again represent Puerto Rico in this year’s WBC an easy one.
“It wasn’t in my mind,” Diaz, speaking moments after the end of the Los Angeles Dodgers‘ workout Saturday, said. “I have the chance to play in front of Puerto Rico. That was an easy decision. Playing [there] will be my first time playing for my people from Puerto Rico, so that was an easy yes, when I knew that the WBC was going to be there.”
Puerto Rico will host pool-play games at Hiram Bithorn Stadium in the capital of San Juan from March 6 to 11. Canada, Colombia, Cuba and Panama also make up Pool A, with the top two teams advancing into the quarterfinals.
Three years ago, Diaz recorded the out that sent Puerto Rico to the quarterfinals but wound up being carried off the field in tears. Despite missing all of that ensuing season, Diaz bounced back to fully healthy in 2024 and turned in one of his best seasons in 2025, making his third All-Star team, putting up a 1.63 ERA and collecting 48 saves.
In December, he joined the two-time-defending-champion Dodgers on a three-year, $69 million contract. And in March, he’ll represent his country once again.
“It’s the only chance we have to represent our countries with the uniform ‘Puerto Rico,'” Diaz said. “To have the chance to represent our countries in that tournament is really big for us. The chance to play is something big.”
But many others won’t share the same honor. The Puerto Rican team has been debilitated by an inability to secure insurance for player contracts, specifically infielders Francisco Lindor and Carlos Correa. Both players said Puerto Rican artist Bad Bunny volunteered to financially back their contracts in case of injury, to no avail. The insurance issue was so concerning that Puerto Rican officials at one point threatened to back out of the tournament.
Instead, Diaz will headline a diluted roster that nonetheless includes several prominent major league players, namely Seth Lugo, Nolan Arenado, Christian Vazquez, Willi Castro, Eddie Rosario and Heliot Ramos.
“At the end of the day, it’s how it is,” Diaz said. “I know the fans are mad because we have a couple of guys who can’t play, but we have a really good team, a young team, and I think we will have a really good WBC.”
