Sixteen current, former Bisons on 2026 World Baseball Classic rosters

The Buffalo Bisons’ March 4 team feature landed a clear, startling figure: 16 of the 20 nations competing in the 2026 World Baseball Classic have a current or former member of the Herd on their rosters or staff. That spread, the Bisons note, runs the gamut from big-name stars and recent Triple-A contributors to rehab cases and coaching staff, and it rewrites a local depth chart into an international roster map.

Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Dominican Republic Vladimir Guerrero Jr. headlines the Bisons connections at the WBC, the marquee name in a list that ties Buffalo’s Triple-A history to a World Series winner. Guerrero "appeared in 39 games across two seasons with Buffalo, belting nine home runs for the team," and his inclusion is framed as part of a momentum arc: he will "look continue to build off of his individual and team success during the Toronto Blue Jays 2025 World Series run." For Buffalo fans, Guerrero’s presence is a reminder that big-league stars sometimes trace back to the Herd, and that those short stints can carry lasting local cachet.

Adam Macko, Canada Twenty-five-year-old Adam Macko is one of three current or former Bisons listed among Canada’s players. The Bisons’ release highlights Macko’s 2025 season numbers: he "won three games for Buffalo last season across 18 total appearances," and "three of his last five relief appearances were scoreless to end 2025." The team projection that he "should feature prominently in the Bisons pitching staff this season" ties his WBC duty to immediate Triple-A roster planning, creating a timeline fans can watch as Buffalo opens its season.

Phillippe Aumont, Canada Phillippe Aumont appears on Canada’s WBC squad with a specific Buffalo footnote: he "pitched in five games for Buffalo during the 2015 campaign." Aumont’s inclusion underscores how the Bisons’ alumni network stretches across eras; a 2015 contributor resurfacing in 2026 on the global stage is evidence of the club’s long arc of influence in professional baseball.

Otto Lopez, Canada Otto Lopez, an infielder, "first played for Buffalo during the 2021 season" and is listed among Canada’s delegation. Lopez’s profile is typical of the roster mix Buffalo described: a recent Triple-A contributor who parlayed time with the Herd into international opportunity. His presence is also a practical depth indicator for local fans tracking who might return stateside as rosters shuffle during the Minor League season.

Kellin Deglan, Canada (bullpen catcher) Not every Bisons connection is a listed player. "Former Herd catcher Kellin Deglan is a bullpen catcher for Canada," the team release states, a reminder that Buffalo’s imprint at the WBC includes support staff. Deglan’s role shows how organizational ties extend beyond stat lines, providing behind-the-scenes continuity between Triple-A and international competition.

Alejandro Kirk, Mexico Mexico’s roster "has a pair [of] former Bisons on the roster, including catcher Alejandro Kirk," with the MiLB note that the Blue Jays backstop "most recently was with the Herd on a Major League injury rehab assignment last season." Kirk’s short rehab stint with Buffalo is a textbook example of how Major League teams use Triple-A for recovery work, and it gives Bisons fans a direct connection to a player who was in Buffalo very recently.

Rowdy Tellez, Mexico Rowdy Tellez is the other former Bison explicitly called out on Mexico’s roster. His Buffalo tenure "spanned across four seasons from 2017 to 2021, where he racked up 30 HRs and 138 RBIs with Buffalo." Those cumulative numbers make Tellez one of the more productive recent Bisons alumni at the WBC, and his selection carries a clear Triple-A to international narrative for scouts, front offices, and local supporters tracking power production.

Elmer Dessens, Mexico (pitching coach) Mexico’s staff includes "former Bisons pitcher Elmer Dessens," now serving as the team’s pitching coach. Dessens’s presence is part of the Bisons’ coaching footprint at the Classic: former players who moved into staff roles at the national level and bring Buffalo-shaped experience to international pitching plans.

Jacob Cruz, Mexico (hitting coach) MiLB’s writeup lists "Jacob Cruz is the team’s hitting coach" for Mexico, though the supplied notes do not explicitly state whether Cruz is a former Bison. His inclusion on Mexico’s staff alongside Dessens hints at a coaching delegation that mixes former Bisons with other experienced instructors; the Buffalo feature groups coaches into the organization’s broader WBC representation, even when individual Bisons ties are not fully spelled out in the excerpt.

Spencer Horwitz, Israel Spencer Horwitz carries local honors into the global arena: he "was named the Bisons 2023 Stan Barron Most Valuable Player" and is "representing Israel for the second time in the World Baseball Classic." The MiLB copy also identifies Horwitz as the "current Pittsburgh Pirates infielder," a dual marker of his Triple-A pedigree and his standing in a big-league organization. Horwitz’s repeat WBC appearance highlights Buffalo’s role as a launchpad for players who oscillate between Triple-A and MLB while maintaining international profiles.

RJ Schreck, Israel "2025 Bisons outfielder RJ Schreck" joins Israel’s roster alongside Horwitz, an explicit link between Buffalo’s 2025 club and the WBC. Schreck’s 2025 season with the Herd positions him as one of the most recent Bisons to carry the organization’s flag abroad, underlining the immediacy of Buffalo’s contribution to national teams.

How the Bisons framed it: big names, rehab cases, staff Buffalo’s team feature described its WBC footprint as spanning "big-name stars, recent Triple-A contributors, rehab cases and coachi" in the clipped excerpt, which captures the organization’s intent to showcase breadth as much as depth. The March 4, 2026 release pushes a specific narrative: the Herd is not only a Minor League stopover but a node in a global baseball network that supplies talent and staff across continents.

The unresolved five Bisons connections The team feature’s headline statistic that 16 of 20 nations have Bisons ties is consistent across Buffalo’s release, OurSportsCentral and MiLB, but the full list of all 16 Bisons-connected individuals and staff was not present in the supplied excerpts. That gap matters because it is the difference between a striking statistic and a verifiable roster map: the Bisons say 16 nations are represented, and they name several players and staff, but five additional connections were not enumerated in the material provided. Those unnamed links could be players, coaches, rehab assignments or front office staff, and they merit confirmation from the full Buffalo release or the official WBC rosters.

Why this matters for Triple-A Buffalo and local fans The practical impact is twofold: first, players on WBC rosters can be delayed in reporting to spring training or to Triple-A, affecting Buffalo’s early-season rotation and lineup decisions; second, the visibility creates recruiting and valuation currency for the franchise. Adam Macko’s projection in the Bisons release that he "should feature prominently in the Bisons pitching staff this season" ties an international call-up directly to local roster expectations, while Guerrero’s headline status generates marketing and ticketing leverage for the Bisons brand.

What comes next Buffalo’s claim that 16 nations feature current or former Bisons is a quantifiable testament to the team’s global reach, but the full breakdown remains necessary for a complete accounting. Obtaining the full March 4, 2026 team feature and cross-referencing the official 2026 WBC rosters will close the five-name gap, confirm ambiguous coaching ties such as Jacob Cruz, and produce a definitive list that matches the Bisons’ headline figure.

Conclusion The Herd’s footprint at the World Baseball Classic is both a bragging point and a logistical consideration: from Vladimir Guerrero Jr.’s star power to rehab catchers and coaching appointments, Buffalo’s Triple-A roster has become an international pipeline. The March 4 team feature makes a bold claim that reshapes how fans and front offices should think about the Bisons, and finalizing the complete list will turn a striking statistic into a concrete resource for season planning and local storytelling.