Before he throws a meaningful pitch for the Dodgers, their new closer will pitch for Puerto Rico in the World Baseball Classic.
Edwin Diaz was named to the Puerto Rican team for the international competition on Monday. Diaz signed a three-year, $69 million contract as a free agent in December.
Diaz becomes the fifth Dodgers player confirmed to be participating in the WBC this spring, joining catcher Will Smith (USA), infielder Hyeseong Kim (Korea), DH Shohei Ohtani and pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto (Japan).
Diaz has a fraught history with the WBC. He pitched for Puerto Rico in the 2017 and 2023 tournaments. In 2023, however, he suffered a major knee injury, tearing the patellar tendon in his right knee and missing the entire 2023 MLB season. The injury did not occur while he was pitching. Diaz blew out his knee while celebrating Puerto Rico’s victory over the Dominican Republic to advance to the quarterfinals.
Insurance issues have complicated roster-building for a number of teams leading into this year’s WBC. The Puerto Rican team has been particularly hard hit with stars Francisco Lindor and Carlos Correa among those unable to participate. Diaz’s past knee injury was apparently not enough to prevent him from obtaining insurance.
Competition in the WBC runs from March 5 through 17.
ALSO
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts’ son, Cole, is following in his footsteps. Twenty-five-year old Cole Roberts has been named a bench coach for the Detroit Tigers’ Class-A affiliate, the West Michigan Whitecaps.
After playing at Loyola Marymount University, Roberts signed with the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2023. He spent two seasons in the Diamondbacks’ and Phillies’ systems, playing 97 games, primarily as a second baseman, and spending all but six of those games in Class-A.