SAN JUAN — Arizona Diamondbacks third baseman Nolan Arenado and his Team Puerto Rico teammates opened a package this week that blended baseball with one of the island’s biggest cultural stars ahead of the World Baseball Classic.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!Bad Bunny treated Team Puerto Rico 😮💨🇵🇷
(via kikehndez/IG) pic.twitter.com/895NbqwdKA
— Yahoo Sports (@YahooSports) March 5, 2026
Mar 3, 2026; Lee County, FL, USA; Puerto Rican baseball fans cheer against the Boston Red Sox at jetBlue Park. Mandatory Credit: Jim Rassol-Imagn Images
Grammy Award-winning artist Bad Bunny sent the club custom cleats designed by himself, with Puerto Rico’s colors in full focus and a “PR” and “BB” stitched on the sides. Arenado’s teammate, Kiké Hernández, showed the cleats off on social media, blending cultural pride with a tournament that relies heavily on national identity as an emotional aspect of the game.
As the lone Diamondbacks representative on Team Puerto Rico, Arenado will play for the country for the first time in his career after previously playing for Team USA in the last two editions of the World Baseball Classic. The third baseman has previously said that, because of his mother’s roots on the island and an invitation from former Puerto Rican baseball star Yadier Molina, he decided to suit up for the club.
Mar 3, 2026; Lee County, FL, USA; Puerto Rico third baseman Nolan Arenado (28) drives in a run in the first inning with a base hit against the Boston Red Sox. Mandatory Credit: Jim Rassol-Imagn Images
Puerto Rico has been one of the WBC’s most emotional teams, reaching the championship game in 2013 and 2017. With another stacked group of All-Stars, including Arenado, they’ll once again be a team to keep an eye on in the tournament.
Bad Bunny’s involvement with the team showcases another blend of sports and culture that baseball has increasingly embraced in recent years. For Arizona to have a player involved in something like that bridges the desert with an island that prides itself on its history, culture and willingness to support one another, no matter where they are professionally.
Mar 4, 2026; Fort Myers, Florida, USA; a general view of the stadium before a spring training exhibition game between Puerto Rico and the Minnesota Twins at Lee Health Sports Complex/Hammond Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images
The custom cleats are another symbol of how deeply baseball and Puerto Rican culture remain tied together — and the Diamondbacks will see that carried by one of their own.
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Wendy Lopez is a reporter for Burn City Sports. You can follow her on her X account, @wlopezde
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