WBC suspension deep wound for Tigers' Javier Báez: 'It's all my fault'

Chris McCosky, The Detroit News on Feb 17, 2026

Published in Baseball

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LAKELAND, Fla. — Javier Báez didn’t sugarcoat it.

Not being able to play for Team Puerto Rico in the WBC, especially with games being played on the island for the first time since 2013, is breaking his heart.

“It hurts,” he said Tuesday after the Tigers completed another full-squad workout. “It really frustrates me. One of my dreams — and one of the dreams of everybody from Puerto Rico — is to play in Puerto Rico in front of our families and our fans, for our country, our island.

"It’s just frustrating, but there’s nothing I can do, just be happy for my teammates that they get a chance to represent.”

Báez failed a drug test for marijuana after the WBC in 2023. Marijuana is not a banned substance in Major League Baseball but it is for events sanctioned by the World Baseball Softball Confederation, like the WBC.

Báez got a two-year suspension, from 2024 through 2026.

Neither the MLB nor the MLB players association was able to get the suspension overturned.

“Honestly, I don’t want to point fingers toward anybody because it’s all my fault,” Báez said. “I’m the one who failed the test. There is one job I have to do and that’s play baseball. I don’t know if they didn’t want me to play in the WBC or whatever but it’s really frustrating I’m not able to be there and be a part of this.”

Báez played on Team Puerto Rico in 2017 and 2023, but it goes deeper than that. One of his most cherished memories is attending a game as a fan, watching his uncle pitch for Team Puerto Rico against the Dominican Republic in 2006.

“I had a chance to be part of that and now it’s (taken) away,” he said. “It really hurts. It really hurts my family and my reputation. But it’s all part of it.”

The suspension news came out last month and at that time Báez chose not to make a prepared statement. He preferred to wait and speak from the heart, like he did Tuesday.

“They made the decision and I’m fine with it — well, I’m not fine with it,” he said. “But I’ll just keep my mouth shut. I didn’t want to put out a statement. In a statement you can put whatever you want. You can put it however people want to see it. It’s different when you feel something.

“There’s a lot of people mad. There’s a lot of people frustrated. But it doesn’t hurt (anyone) more than it hurts me. But it’s time to turn the page and get ready for the season.”

If there is a positive that’s come from the suspension, Báez’s accelerated offseason work to prepare for the WBC has him well ahead physically to start spring training.

“I've got a long season to go and I've got to prepare for that," he said. "I was working out to be ready for the WBC. So now, just focus on spring training and being ready for the season."

He’s done most of his drill work at shortstop, showing prospect Kevin McGonigle the ropes, but he’s found his way out to center field to shag fly balls in batting practice and on Tuesday, he jumped in at third base without being asked.

“His presence matters,” Tigers manager AJ Hinch said. “His approach to contributing in a variety of ways has been a very big example for our guys. We need him to be himself and we’ll figure out a plan for him to get comfortable at a couple of different positions.”

Báez, 33, returned to the All-Star Game for the first time since 2019, this time as the American League’s starting center fielder. He’d come off a major hip surgery in the offseason and as the season wore on, he gradually wore down physically.

“Yeah, after the first half I got a little tired from the surgery,” he said. “It wasn’t really bothering me. I could play.”

But his production fell off significantly, hitting .275 with a .752 OPS in the first half to .223 and .548 in the second half.

“Once we got to the playoffs, the emotion and the energy, everything went back up and I got through it,” Báez said. “After the season, I got my rest but we kept working with the same plan, really attacking the rehab stuff.

“Right now, I feel really, really good.”

Like the rest of the team, Báez was fired up by the organization’s willingness to upgrade the roster with elite pitchers Framber Valdez, Justin Verlander and Kenley Jansen.

“Every year we try to do something better and get better as a team and an organization,” he said. “I think we have been preparing for this moment since I got here. … I think they put us in a spot to go even farther than last year.”