PORT CHARLOTTE, FL – The Detroit Tigers are leaving the United States.
When the bus departs Monday, March 2, the Tigers will be on their way to the Dominican Republic for a two-game exhibition series Tuesday and Wednesday against Team Dominican Republic at Estadio Quisqueya Juan Marichal in Santo Domingo.
Outfielder Wenceel Pérez and catcher Thayron Liranzo were at the top of the list for manager A.J. Hinch when setting the 35-player roster, as they were born and raised in the Dominican Republic.
“I thought that was the appropriate way to start building the travel list, with a chance for them to go home,” Hinch said. “That’ll be a meaningful trip for them being able to play in front of friends and family. From there, from the position player group, I started poking around seeing who wanted to go.”
The two-game exhibition is a way for Team Dominican Republic – managed by MLB legend Albert Pujols, with MLB great Nelson Cruz serving as the general manager – to prepare for the 2026 World Baseball Classic, which begins Thursday and ends March 17.
The starting lineup for Team Dominican Republic features MLB stars Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Ketel Marte, Manny Machado, Julio Rodríguez, Juan Soto and Fernando Tatis Jr.
“There was heavy interest in going, which is why you see a lot of guys that have been with our team playing,” Hinch said. “At the same time, we’re fielding a team against [Team] Panama [on Wednesday in Lakeland], so I had to stop at some point and redistribute the playing time.”
The Tigers have just one starting pitcher on the trip: right-hander Ty Madden, who is scheduled to start Tuesday’s game. (Left-hander Framber Valdez, a native of the Dominican Republic, will travel with the Tigers for the two-game exhibition, but he won’t pitch.)
For Wednesday’s game, the Tigers will deploy a bullpen-only game.
It’s unclear which reliever will start.
“Bullpen games are alive and well,” Hinch said. “Depending on the arms that we use in the first game, the second one will be an array of different guys, so we’ll probably use seven or eight pitchers and try to create chaos.”
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Detroit Tigers roster in Dominican Republic
Pitchers (15): Scott Effross, Sean Guenther, Brenan Hanifee, Brant Hurter, Ty Madden, Tyler Mattison, Konnor Pilkington, Bryan Sammons, Matt Seelinger, Burch Smith, Dylan Smith, Cole Waites, Carlos Peña, Johan Simon, Tanner Kohlhepp.
Catchers (4): Josue Briceño, Thayron Liranzo, Jake Rogers, Bennett Lee.
Infielders (9): Javier Báez, Colt Keith, Kevin McGonigle, Zach McKinstry, John Peck, Spencer Torkelson, Chris Meyers, Jack Penney, Gage Workman.
Outfielders (7): Max Clark, Riley Greene, Corey Julks, Ben Malgeri, Wenceel Pérez, Seth Stephenson, Woody Hadeen.
Coaches (12): A.J. Hinch, Robin Lund, Lance Zawadzki, Anthony Sanders, Billy Boyer, Chris Chinea, Doug Bochtler, Mike Hessman, Francisco Contreras, Tony Cappuccilli, Juan Pimentel, Salvador Paniagua.
Contact Evan Petzold at epetzold@freepress.com or follow him @EvanPetzold.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit Tigers set 35-player roster for Dominican Republic showcase
Reporting by Evan Petzold, Detroit Free Press / Detroit Free Press
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
