According to Anthony DiComo of MLB.com, New York Mets infielder Jose Reyes will play for the Dominican Republic team in the upcoming World Baseball Classic. This will be the fourth time that Reyes has played in the WBC for his home country.
He will join Mets closer Jeurys Familia on the squad. The Dominican roster also includes St. Louis Cardinals young pitcher Alex Reyes, Seattle Mariners sluggers Nelson Cruz and Robinson Cano, New York Yankees reliever Dellin Betances, Texas Rangers third basemen Adrian Beltre and Baltimore Orioles infielder Manny Machado.
The Dominican team is in Pool C along with the United States, Canada and Team Colombia. Play begins on March 9 at Marlins Park in Miami with the Dominican Republic as the defending champs.
Previous Report – Dec 28
A day after teammates Seth Lugo and Ty Kelly were confirmed to be playing in the WBC, it has now been confirmed by sources that T.J. Rivera will also participate. Rivera, 28, will join Lugo on Team Puerto Rico, and Kelly will play for Team Israel.
In 2016, Rivera, hit .352 in 105 Minor League games and .333 in 33 Major League games.
Other players on Team Puerto Rico include Indians shortstop Francisco Lindor, Cubs second baseman Javier Baez, and Astros shortstop Carlos Correa.
Original Post – Dec 27
Here are a couple of New York Mets player updates regarding the upcoming Winter Baseball Classic. According to Jon Morosi of Fox Sports, RHP Seth Lugo has agreed to play for Puerto Rico and Ty Kelly has agreed to play for Israel.
Lugo, 27, hails from Louisiana but has Puerto Rican roots on his father’s side of the family. Last season, Lugo was a nice surprise for the Mets, coming up after a rash of injuries and producing a 2.67 ERA and 1.092 WHIP in 17 late season appearances including eight starts.
Kelly, 27, has Jewish ancestry and was initially supposed to play in the qualifying rounds for Team Israel, but his September call-up prevented him from playing. Israel advanced anyway, and now Kelly will lend his talents to them. He played in 39 games for the Mets last season, posting a .241 average with a .697 OPS.
Other Mets expected to play in the WBC are SS Asdrubal Cabrera for Venezuela and RHP Jeurys Familia for the Dominican Republic. Both Michael Conforto and Brandon Nimmo are on Team Italy’s preliminary roster, however it is unclear yet if either outfielder will play. RHP Noah Syndergaard, has already declined an invitation from Team USA.
