World Baseball Classic: All fun until someone gets hurt

The two defining moments of the most recent World Baseball Classic in 2023 were Edwin Diaz getting injured during a Team Puerto Rico celebration and Shohei Ohtani striking out then-Angels teammate Mike Trout to give Japan the title.

That’s the WBC in a nutshell: The chance for thrilling moments and the chance for devastating injuries.

Diaz, then the Mets’ closer, missed the entire 2023 season after tearing the patella tendon in his right knee. What did the Mets gain from Diaz’s participation in the tournament?

Zilch. Nada.

In 2013, Mark Teixeira injured his wrist during WBC batting practice, missed the tournament and was never quite right for the Yankees before eventually undergoing season-ending surgery in July.

But MLB wants the WBC, and again in 2026, teams will be sending some of their most important players to compete in a high-intensity tournament during spring training.

Aaron Judge is the Team USA captain. The USA roster includes stars Tarik Skubal, Paul Skenes, Bobby Witt Jr. and Bryce Harper. Ohtani will suit up again for the defending champions.

Francisco Lindor is the captain of the Puerto Rican team, and Mets pitchers Clay Holmes and Nolan McLean were added to the USA roster last week. Mark Vientos is going to play for Nicaragua. His mother was born there.

Yankees closer David Bednar is on the USA roster. Max Fried was offered a spot and declined.

Juan Soto played for the Dominican Republic in 2023 and is expected to suit up again for his native country.

Even Diaz has indicated he’d like to play again if it’s OK with his new team, the Dodgers.

So from March 5-17, managers will hold their breath as some of their most important players compete in the high-intensity WBC instead of low-intensity spring training games.

“Look, it’s become such an awesome tournament,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said last week. “I think we all got into it, especially the last one, seeing the way it all shook out and kind of captivated the baseball world.

“I think a lot of guys see that and want to be a part of that. To go play meaningful baseball in March, I think it’s a good thing. It’s good for our sport, good for our players, as long as they stay healthy.

“So maybe you hold your breath a little bit, but you also understand that it’s here and that it’s an option for players. So we’re just trying to get them in the best position to be healthy and safe coming out of it, and then just enjoy watching them go compete at a high level.”

One surprise from the Mets was the inclusion of McLean, a 24-year-old rookie with eight big-league starts under his belt.

“I got an invitation a couple of weeks ago,” McLean said last week. “I was super-stoked to receive that. The opportunity to represent my country just means the world.”

Given his short body of work in the big leagues, McLean said he was surprised to get the call.

“I was,” he said. “I was very surprised. But I think they figured it would be something I’d be passionate about and ready to do.”

Holmes, who transitioned from a reliever with the Yankees to a starter with the Mets last season, said he is “super-excited for [the WBC]. It’s an opportunity that you never really know if you’re going to get again.”

Holmes said he isn’t concerned about ramping up too quickly in March.

“For me, just looking at the whole workload stuff and kind of where I was at in spring training last year, I feel like I was going to do the same workload this year, same buildup, and really putting on track to do not much different this year,” he said. “So felt it made sense.

“I thought I was in a great position physically to do it, and obviously it will be an honor to play for the USA and try to win the World Baseball Classic with those guys.”

It should be exciting!

Just don’t get hurt.

By Anthony Rieber

anthony.rieber@newsday.comAnthonyRieber

Anthony Rieber covers baseball, as well as the NFL, NBA and NHL. He has worked at Newsday since Aug. 31, 1998, and has been in his current position since July 5, 2004.