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MLB, Baseball Herren, USA All Star-American League at National League Jul 15, 2025 Cumberland, Georgia, USA American League pitcher Aroldis Chapman 44 of the Boston Red Sox looks on in the ninth inning during the 2025 MLB All Star Game at Truist Park. Cumberland Truist Park Georgia USA, EDITORIAL USE ONLY PUBLICATIONxINxGERxSUIxAUTxONLY Copyright: xBrettxDavisx 20250715_lbm_ad1_212
Imago
MLB, Baseball Herren, USA All Star-American League at National League Jul 15, 2025 Cumberland, Georgia, USA American League pitcher Aroldis Chapman 44 of the Boston Red Sox looks on in the ninth inning during the 2025 MLB All Star Game at Truist Park. Cumberland Truist Park Georgia USA, EDITORIAL USE ONLY PUBLICATIONxINxGERxSUIxAUTxONLY Copyright: xBrettxDavisx 20250715_lbm_ad1_212
This year’s WBC has more players getting rejected or pulling out of the tournament rather than adding another level of competitiveness. First, it was Francisco Lindor and the insurance problems he faced which has forced him to pull out of the tournament. And now we have Aroldis Chapman, whom the team just rejected.
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As Talkin’ Baseball reported, “Aroldis Chapman was not approved to pitch for Great Britain in the World Baseball Classic because his lineage-based documentation did not prove eligibility.”
Aroldis Chapman entered the 2026 World Baseball Classic conversation, hoping to pitch for Great Britain after they named him to their preliminary roster.
Chapman struck out 85 batters in 2025 with a superb 1.17 ERA and 32 saves for the Red Sox, ranking him among MLB’s elite relievers. His grandparents migrated from Jamaica, once a British colony, which gave the team a basis for eligibility under WBC rules.
Aroldis Chapman also holds U.S. citizenship, meaning the United States could have been an option under normal WBC nationality rules.
Fans in Britain and Boston saw a real chance for Chapman to bring elite relief pitching to the global stage.
Aroldis Chapman was not approved to pitch for Great Britain in the World Baseball Classic because his lineage-based documentation did not prove eligibility, per @ChrisCotillo
Chapman received an offer from the team in June and planned to accept it pic.twitter.com/tOEQIOA4oC
— Talkin’ Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) February 3, 2026
That hope took a turn as the eligibility process unfolded and documentation fell short of proving the lineage connection. Great Britain offered him a spot based on heritage, but the WBC cleared that it wasn’t enough to satisfy eligibility requirements.
Aroldis Chapman had previously pitched for Cuba’s 2009 WBC team. But he has no intention of playing for Cuba again after defecting from the country. Without eligibility for Cuba or Great Britain at this time, Chapman now stands outside any WBC roster.
People tracking his situation waited for official clearance that ultimately never came.
His next few months will fold back into Red Sox life as international play slips away. Chapman signed a reported $13.3M extension for 2026, keeping him in Boston’s bullpen for the season. He posted his best career numbers in 2025, with his 1.17 ERA the lowest of his 16-year career.
Aroldis Chapman will spend March in spring training preparing for the MLB campaign rather than competing abroad. Fans will watch his dominant relief work in Fenway instead of on the WBC stage.
Chapman missed, but Jazz Chishlom Jr. is not missing his WBC chance
Aroldis Chapman blinked on WBC rules, his late pledge rejected by federations enforcing strict timelines. Jazz Chisholm Jr. seizes the moment instead, reviving his 2016 Brooklyn spark for GB’s survival bid in 2026.
Jazz Chisholm Jr. wore a Great Britain jersey at 18 in the 2016 qualifiers. He went 4-for-16 with one double and two steals. Great Britain lost the final to Israel after those games.
That debut showed his early skill for the team. Fans felt his speed light up Brooklyn fields then.
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His 2025 Yankees season hit 31 home runs and 31 steals. He earned a second All-Star nod that year, too. The first Silver Slugger came with those power numbers. Stats marked third Yankee 30-30 club entry. That breakout fueled dreams for GB’s return now.
Great Britain earned the 2026 WBC via a 7-5 win over Colombia. The pool starts on March 6 in Houston against Mexico. They face the USA on March 7 and Brazil on March 9 next. The top two advance from the five-team group there. Harry Ford adds strength with a .308 average and two homers in 2023.
Chisholm joins Ford under skipper Brad Marcelino. Ford stole 35 of 44 bases in 116 games in 2024. Team mixes MLB talent with prospects like that. Their 2023 upset proved that upset potential exists.
Fans sense a building force for Houston’s battles ahead.