Detroit Tigers shortstop Javier Báez won’t play for Team Puerto Rico in the 2026 World Baseball Classic due to marijuana use.
Báez is not eligible to participate in the 2026 WBC because he is serving a suspension for cannabis, according to a person with knowledge of the situation. The 33-year-old tested positive for the substance in an exam conducted March 12, 2023, during the 2023 WBC.
As a result of the positive test, Báez received a two-year period of ineligibility – April 26, 2024, to April 26, 2026 – from World Baseball Softball Confederation events.
The 2026 WBC runs from March 5-17.
The situation is cut and dry.
He broke the rules.
And now he’s serving a suspension.
In this case, Major League Baseball and the MLB Players Association worked together to explore whether Báez could be cleared for the WBC, but those efforts were unsuccessful. MLB has permitted marijuana use since the 2020 season under its jointly negotiated drug policy with the MLBPA, but the World Baseball Softball Confederation – which governs the WBC’s drug rules – still prohibits it.
Therefore, Báez hasn’t violated any MLB rules and won’t face discipline from the Tigers.
He just can’t play in World Baseball Classic in 2026.
This story will be updated.
Contact Evan Petzold at epetzold@freepress.com or follow him @EvanPetzold.
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This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Javier Báez suspended from 2026 World Baseball Classic for marijuana
