SANTO DOMINGO.– The Puerto Rico team will suffer a significant loss in the next World Baseball Classic after it was confirmed that Javier “El Mago” Báez will not be able to participate in the tournament due to a suspension in effect for doping, derived from a positive result for marijuana use
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Unlike other cases such as those of
Francisco Lindor and Carlos Correa, whose absence is due to insurance issues, Báez’s absence strictly responds to a disciplinary punishment that disqualifies him from competing in the international tournament, depriving the Puerto Rican team of one of its main figures on and off the field.
The result that changed the landscape
According to official records from the
International Testing Agency (ITA), an independent body responsible for anti-doping control at the World Baseball Classic, the Detroit Tigers shortstop tested positive for
Carboxy-THC, a metabolite of cannabis.
The test was conducted on
March 12, 2023, after the game in which Puerto Rico fell 9-6 to Venezuela at loanDepot Park in Miami. Although Báez produced a run in that game, the post-game control initiated a process that today leaves him out of the World Cup.
Clash of Regulations between MLB and the Classic
The Báez case once again brings to the table the difference between the regulations of
Major Leagues and international organizations. Since 2020,
MLB removed marijuana from its list of prohibited substances, but the World Baseball Classic is governed by the standards of the
WBSC and the
World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), where cannabis continues to be penalized during the competition.
The sanction imposed on the Puerto Rican player began on the
April 26, 2024 and will extend until
April 26, 2026, which automatically leaves him out of the tournament, scheduled from
March 5 to 19, 2026.
No appeal options
Despite the attempts of the
Puerto Rico Baseball Federation (FBPR) to manage an exception, the situation is definitive. According to sources close to the process, national federations
do not have the power to appeal or request reconsiderations in cases handled by the ITA, limiting themselves only to an observer role.
A seriously affected infield
The absence of Báez worsens the crisis of the Puerto Rican infield, which had already lost Lindor and Correa for reasons unrelated to the playing field. Without its star nucleus from the last editions, Puerto Rico is forced to
completely reconfigure its infield, historically one of its greatest strengths.
The absence of “El Mago” not only represents a defensive and offensive loss, but also a blow to the leadership and experience of a team that will seek to reinvent itself to compete at the highest level in the 2026 World Baseball Classic.
