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New York. — Major League Baseball announced that a total of 247 players born outside the United States are part of the Opening Day rosters for the 2026 season, representing 26.1% of the 948 players included among active rosters, injured lists, and restricted lists.
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For the thirtieth consecutive year since this data has been published, the Dominican Republic tops the list of countries and territories with the most players in Major League Baseball, with 93 players. Venezuela follows with 60 players and Cuba with 20, solidifying Latin dominance in Major League Baseball. Other countries with representation on Opening Day rosters are Canada (17 players), Japan (14), Puerto Rico (14), Mexico (7), Curacao (4), Panama (4), Colombia (3), South Korea (3), as well as Aruba, Bahamas, Honduras, Nicaragua, and Taiwan with one player each. Regarding the teams with the highest presence of players born outside the United States, the Atlanta Braves and the San Diego Padres top the list with 15 international players each. They are followed by the Houston Astros with 14, while the Arizona Diamondbacks and the Miami Marlins have 13 foreign players in their respective squads. MLB also highlighted that 145 players from the Opening Day active rosters participated in at least one game of the 2026 World Baseball Classic, demonstrating the global impact of the tournament and the high quality of international talent present in the Major Leagues. In addition, the league reported that the 2026 season games will be broadcast in more than 203 countries and territories, through 162 media outlets and in 16 languages, reaffirming the global reach of Major League Baseball. With these figures, the Dominican Republic continues to consolidate itself as the main international talent pool in Major League Baseball and one of the countries with the greatest impact on professional baseball worldwide.
