One of Major League Baseball's most promising young prospects, shortstop JJ Wetherholt, will not be able to play for Team South Korea at the 2026 World Baseball Classic.
The top-rated St. Louis Cardinals prospect r elayed the news to reporters in St. Louis on Sunday, according to Yoo Jee-ho of Yonhap News Agency.
"Unfortunately, I am not Korean enough. You need a direct parent to be a citizen," Wetherholt told reporters, per Yoo. "And my grandma is the one who's a citizen. It was a dream of mine, and my grandma's getting old, so I really wanted to play for them just because I think it would really mean a lot to her. But unfortunately, (I) won't be able to do it."
What's next for Wetherholt?
Technically, Wetherholt could play for Team USA at the WBC in March. But the USA's roster is already almost full of position players.
Instead, his focus will most likely shift to spring training with the Cardinals. The 23-year-old split the 2025 season between Double-A Springfield and Triple-A Memphis, hitting.306/.421/.510 with 17 home runs and 23 stolen bases in 26 attempts.
Wetherholt could've made a huge difference for South Korea, who will be without infielders Ha-Seong Kim and Song Sung-mun due to preseason injuries.
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