Los Angeles Dodgers closer Edwin Díaz is looking to exorcise some demons at the 2026 World Baseball Classic. The closer announced he will pitch for Puerto Rico once again in the event, three years after he sustained a season-ending knee injury during a celebration on the mound of a WBC game.
Díaz, 31, is making his third appearance in the World Baseball Classic. While he made it through the 2017 WBC unscathed, Díaz sustained a shocking injury at the event in 2023, wrecking his MLB season.
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The injury occurred during a team celebration after Díaz picked up a save against the Dominican Republic in the pool stage of the tournament. The win sent Puerto Rico to the quarterfinals, leading to Díaz’s teammates rushing the field and jumping up and down.
While cameras didn’t capture the exact moment of the injury, Díaz was then spotted on the ground holding his right knee. Players from Team Puerto Rico gathered around the closer. He eventually needed a wheelchair to exit the field. Díaz’s brother, fellow MLB closer Alexis Díaz, was spotted crying on the field following his brother’s injury.
It was eventually determined that Díaz tore the patellar tendon in his right knee, and he missed the entire 2023 MLB season while recovering from the injury. The New York Mets struggled without their closer, going 75-87 in 2023.
The injury caused a firestorm among fans, who questioned why it was worth it for Díaz — who had just signed a five-year, $102 million extension with the Mets — to risk an injury playing for another team. And Díaz wasn’t the only MLB superstar to sustain an injury during the 2023 WBC. Houston Astros and Team Venezuela second baseman Jose Altuve played in just 90 games during the MLB regular season after fracturing his thumb on a hit-by-pitch during a game against Team USA.
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After missing the entire 2023 season, Díaz returned in 2024 and put up a 3.52 ERA over 53 2/3 innings. He was even better in 2025, posting a 1.63 ERA over 66 1/3 innings and making the All-Star team for the third time in his career. Díaz hit the free-agent market following that performance and was rewarded with a three-year, $69 million deal with the Dodgers.
The previous injury, combined with his expensive new contract, wasn’t enough to deter Díaz from participating in the event in 2026. He hinted as much ahead of the 2025 season, telling Newsday that he wanted to take part in the event in 2026 because, “We don’t have the chance to play for our country [often].”
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