‘Sugar’ Díaz & Heliot Ramos will play for PR in World Baseball Classic
- The San Juan Daily Star
- 4 hours ago
- 2 min read
By THE STAR STAFF
Reliever Edwin “Sugar” Díaz and outfielder Heliot Ramos will be part of the Puerto Rico National Team that will compete in the 2026 World Baseball Classic (WBC), the Puerto Rico Baseball Federation confirmed earlier this week.
Both players will be included in the final roster that was to be submitted to Major League Baseball on Tuesday.
“There are no words that can express the feeling of pride and at the same time humility of knowing that I can represent Puerto Rico in the Classic, at home, in my country,” said Díaz, who will serve as his team’s closer, in a written statement. “To hear the trumpets playing in Puerto Rico with my people and my family. Grateful and excited about such a dream come true.”
The Naguabo-born pitcher, considered one of the most dominant closers in Major League Baseball over the past decade, will participate for the third time in the World Baseball Classic with Team Puerto Rico. In his last appearance in the tournament’s 2023 edition, Díaz tore his right patellar tendon during a celebration in the infield after Puerto Rico beat the Dominican Republic to clinch a spot in the quarterfinals. The then-member of the New York Mets missed all of the subsequent MLB season as a result of the injury.
Díaz, 31, a free agent after last season, signed a $69 million, three-year contract with the two-time defending World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers in December.
Ramos, meanwhile, will be playing in the international tournament for the first time after establishing himself in organized baseball and gaining experience in MLB as a leftfielder for the San Francisco Giants.
“It is an honor for me to represent my island at home,” the 26-year-old Humacao native said. “I am ready to compete and go out there to win every game.”
Among other major leaguers confirmed to play for Team Puerto Rico as of press time Tuesday are third baseman Nolan Arenado (St. Louis Cardinals) and utilityman Willi Castro (Colorado Rockies), a native of Río Piedras.
Puerto Rico’s participation in the WBC was put in doubt over the weekend after the MLB insurer denied insurance coverage for the tournament to at least eight of the national team’s players, including stars Francisco Lindor and Carlos Correa. Some of the players’ cases were reportedly still under review on Tuesday.