Chinese Taipei has reportedly lost one of its top bats for the World Baseball Classic.
Detroit Tigers infield prospect Hao-Yu Lee was removed from the Taiwan roster ahead of its tournament-opener on Wednesday night with a left oblique strain, according to The Athletic's Cody Stevenhagen.
Lee, 23, is coming off a 2025 campaign in which he slashed .243/.342/.406 with 14 home runs and 22 stolen bases at triple-A Toledo. The five-foot-nine Lee spent most of his time defensively at second and third base.
MLB Pipeline has Lee ranked as the No. 6 prospect in the Tigers system. He landed in Detroit as the return for Michael Lorenzen at the 2023 trade deadline.
Lee was expected to be a key piece in Chinese Taipei's efforts to advance from the pool stage at the WBC for the first time.
Chinese Taipei begins its WBC journey on Wednesday night against Australia in Pool C play at 10 p.m. ET / 7 p.m. PT on Sportsnet+.
