Former Texas Rangers first baseman Rowdy Tellez announced he will play for Team Mexico in the 2026 World Baseball Classic (WBC), per Foul Territory.
Tellez, currently a free agent, played for Mexico in the 2023 WBC, slashing .280/.333/.440 with one homer and five RBI in 25 at-bats. Other notable players set to play for Team Mexico in the 2026 WBC include catcher Alejandro Kirk and outfielders Jarren Duran and Randy Arozarena.
Depending on how the rest of Mexico’s roster turns out, Tellez will likely either be the team’s primary first baseman or designated hitter.
He is a poor defender, posting -4 Outs Above Average (16th percentile) last season, so having a stronger defender at first and having Tellez serve as the designated hitter would be in Mexico’s best interest.
Team Mexico will compete in Pool B, which includes the United States, Italy, Great Britain and Brazil. The United States is the clear favorite in the Pool, with Mexico likely being their biggest threat to advancing to the semi-finals.
Team Mexico first baseman/designated hitter Rowdy Tellez impressed in short time with Rangers
President Chris Young made it clear he is focusing on bolstering the pitching staff over adding more position players. However, the Rangers could still try to re-sign Tellez, as he will likely be cheap and could sign with them on a minor league deal. For a team operating on a limited budget, taking a flier on Tellez makes a ton of sense.
The Rangers signed Tellez on July 5 after the Seattle Mariners released him on June 26. He played in four games with Triple-A Round Rock before Texas selected his contract on July 18.
Tellez ended up being a solid addition for the Rangers, as the first baseman/designated hitter hit .269/.315/.457 (124 OPS+) with six home runs and 22 RBI in 127 plate appearances across 50 games with Texas last season.
His above-average offensive stats were a nice surprise for the Rangers, as he hit just .208/.249/.434 (93 OPS+) with 11 homers and 27 RBI in 185 plate appearances with Seattle during the 2025 season.
The Rangers’ offense struggled mightily last season, holding the 26th-best OPS (.683) in the league. Only the Colorado Rockies, Chicago White Sox, Cleveland Guardians and Pittsburgh Pirates had worse OPSs than Texas.
Despite the team’s offensive struggles, Tellez managed to be an above-average hitter in his limited time with the club, meaning he wasn’t part of the problem. Re-signing him would be an affordable way to improve the offense for 2026.
