Four Salt Lake Bees Players Represented Four Countries in 2026 World Baseball Classic

Before the Salt Lake Bees play a single Pacific Coast League game, four players from their roster already have international tournament baseball on their 2026 résumés.

Left-handed pitchers Sam Aldegheri and Samy Natera and outfielders Matthew Lugo and Gustavo Campero all competed in the 2026 World Baseball Classic, each representing a different country. Aldegheri wore Italy's colors, Natera suited up for Mexico, Lugo represented Puerto Rico, and Campero played for Colombia.

Aldegheri's squad traveled the furthest in the tournament. Team Italy advanced to the semifinals before falling to Venezuela, making it the strongest run among the four Bees players' national teams. Team Mexico, where Natera pitched, fell just short of the quarterfinal round. The results for Puerto Rico and Colombia were not detailed in the team's announcement.

The international footprint didn't stop with the players. Four members of new Bees manager Doug Davis' staff also served their respective countries during the tournament. Bench coach Jack Santora joined Aldegheri on the Italy side, appearing as a batting practice pitcher for the Azzurri. Athletic trainer Koki Ikeda served on a four-man medical team for Team Czech Republic, supporting the Czechs in just their second-ever WBC appearance. Ikeda is entering his second season with Salt Lake and his first as the club's head athletic trainer. Assistant athletic trainer Dan Turner, who joins the Bees for his first season, was part of Team Mexico's athletic training group.

The breadth of WBC involvement across a single Triple-A roster is a sharp illustration of how far the talent pool now stretches at the minor-league level. Players and staff cycling through a Pacific Coast League affiliate now routinely carry national team credentials alongside their organizational assignments.

Salt Lake opens the 2026 season on the road in Las Vegas on March 27, then returns home for its first game at The Ballpark at America First Square in Downtown Daybreak on March 31 against the Sacramento River Cats.