Wbc Schedule: Dominican Republic’s Stacked Roster, Cristopher Sanchez Named Ace and Padres Notebook

The latest wbc schedule development centers on the Dominican Republic’s ramp-up ahead of pool play in Miami and a high-profile Game 1 pitching assignment: Cristopher Sanchez will start on March 6 against Nicaragua. This matters because the Dominican roster is stacked for the tournament, exhibitions are set in the home country, and major-league camps are juggling player departures and managerial absences as the tournament approaches.

wbc schedule: Dominican exhibitions, Miami pool opener and Game 1 starter

The Dominican Republic will stage two exhibition games next week against the Detroit Tigers at Estadio Quisqueya Juan Marichal, played on Tuesday and Wednesday, before beginning pool play in Miami on Friday against Nicaragua. On the tournament front, Cristopher Sanchez has been named the Dominican team’s de facto ace and will be the Game 1 starter on March 6 against Nicaragua; manager Albert Pujols provided that starting assignment. Sanchez may make one start in his major-league club’s camp prior to the tournament, likely going two innings in that outing and not expected to go deeper than four innings against Nicaragua.

Dominican pitching depth and Sanchez’s role

• Cristopher Sanchez will represent the Dominican Republic and is the team’s de facto ace.
• Sanchez will be the Game 1 starter on March 6 against Nicaragua. Behind him in the rotation are Luis Severino, Brayan Bello and Sandy Alcantara.
• Sanchez may start once in Phillies camp before the WBC, likely for two innings, and is not expected to go more than four innings in the March 6 game.
• Sanchez’s recent performance track includes finishing second in National League Cy Young voting last season, with a 2. 50 ERA and a 1. 06 WHIP over 202 innings.
• The 6-foot-6 lefty is described as having elite weapons: a changeup graded as the second-best in baseball behind Tarik Skubal and a sinker graded as the best in baseball ahead of Framber Valdez and Garrett Crochet.

Padres notebook: Fernando Tatis Jr. heads to the Dominican Republic

Fernando Tatis Jr. logged two at-bats on Friday, played four innings in right field in his third straight day of Cactus League action, then jogged to the center field clubhouse at Salt River Fields to catch a flight to join the Dominican Republic for pre-WBC activities. Tatis is 3-for-12 with three walks after going 0-for-2 in Friday’s 3-2 loss to the Rockies at Salt River Fields. He will join the Dominican roster for the exhibitions at Estadio Quisqueya Juan Marichal and the subsequent pool opener in Miami.

Why the Dominican exhibitions matter for Tatis and teammates

Tatis has not played in front of fans in his home country since appearing for Estrellas in 2023, when his father, Fernando Tatis, served as the Dominican team’s hitting coach. Tatis was ineligible for the last World Baseball Classic while serving a PED suspension, making this return to play in the Dominican Republic a notable moment. He will be wearing the same uniform as several superstars on the roster, including Manny Machado, Juan Soto and Vladimir Guerrero Jr., a lineup described as deep with star power for the ramp-up to pool play in Miami.

Spring developments: Sung-Mun Song and managerial adjustments

Twenty-nine-year-old Sung-Mun Song, the Korean import, appears to be settling in. He recorded his first spring hit on Thursday off Reds right-hander Graham Ashcraft and added another hit on Friday off Rockies right-hander Juan Mejia. Song has three starts so far this spring; with Tatis, Machado and Xander Bogaerts departing for the World Baseball Classic, Song’s playing time is expected to increase. His work in camp has been primarily at second and third base, but shortstop and outfield work are reportedly imminent. Song has only played shortstop in middle school and has only shagged in the outfield previously, yet he has expressed eagerness to help wherever needed.

Manager Craig Stammen will miss two games—Friday and Saturday—to attend his sister’s wedding. Pitching coach Ruben Niebla has been given the title of associate manager after becoming a finalist for the managerial opening that ultimately went to Stammen. Bench coach Randy Knorr will serve as the acting manager during Stammen’s absence and in any instance in which Stammen is ejected.

These developments — the wbc schedule details for the Dominican Republic, Cristopher Sanchez’s Game 1 assignment, Tatis’s return to his home crowd for exhibitions, Sung-Mun Song’s spring momentum, and the managerial adjustments at the big-league camp — together shape immediate roster availability and strategic choices heading into the World Baseball Classic and the start of the regular season.