Canada's hopes of a strong showing at the 2026 World Baseball Classic have taken a hit.
Freddie Freeman has withdrawn from competing at the upcoming edition of the tournament in March due to personal reasons, Sportsnet's Shi Davidi reported on Saturday.
Freeman represented Canada in the 2017 and 2023 Classics as a way to honour his late mother Rosemary, who was from Peterborough, Ont.
The 36-year-old first baseman hit four singles in 21 at-bats in both competitions, as Canada posted a 2-5 overall record. After going 0-3 in 2017, Canada narrowly missed out on making the knockout round in 2023.
Freeman, a three-time World Series winner, is coming off a season where he hit .295/.367/.502 to go along with 24 home runs and 90 RBIs for the reigning-champion Los Angeles Dodgers.
His numbers took a dip during the post-season, as he slashed .221/.338/.382 with two homers and three RBIs, but Freeman did seal Game 3 of the Fall Classic by blasting a walk-off home run in the bottom of the 18th inning, ending the record-tying affair.
Yet despite competing against the Toronto Blue Jays in the World Series, Freeman still spoke fondly of playing October baseball in Canada.
"It is special, both my parents are born and raised in Canada, especially in the province of Ontario," said Freeman prior to the World Series. "My mom from the Toronto area, Dad from Windsor, so it is special.
"You know every time I go there, you just have this feeling inside that you feel just a little bit closer to my mom. So I'm looking forward to it, I'm excited."
3:50
1:01