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MLB

2026 World Baseball Classic: Chieh-Hsien Chen Suffers Injury vs Australia

Vince Pensabene photo
By Vince Pensabene · 2 min read
World Baseball Classic logo
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 2026 World Baseball Classic is officially underway as Chinese Taipei and Australia have started in Japan in Pool C. However, there already seems to be a cause for concern after Chinese Taipei’s captain had to leave the game with an injury. Let’s take a closer look at what happened and what a prolonged absence would mean for the team.

Chieh-Hsien Chen leaves the World Baseball Classic opening game with a hand injury

The Chinese Taipei team has been dealing with some injuries, but this one may have been the most devastating for the team. In the top of the sixth inning, captain Chieh-Hsien Chen was at the plate. He would be drilled with a fastball on his left hand and would immediately be in pain. Chen would walk to first base, but immediately be substituted out of the game.

The cause for concern for teams regarding the World Baseball Classic this season has been injuries, as we have seen multiple players not participate due to insurance issues. However, there are still a good number of star players competing. As of this writing, we do not have an update on Chen’s injury, but this is not the first injury to hit Chinese Taipei.

Before the World Baseball Classic even started, Chicago Cubs infielder Jonathan Long was removed from the roster after sustaining an injury in Spring Training. The same would happen on Wednesday, as Detroit Tigers prospect Hao-Yu Lee would suffer a left oblique strain.

Chinese Taipei could be in danger of being eliminated in the Pool Play portion of the World Baseball Classic, as a loss to Australia would be difficult to overcome. Their pool consists of Australia, Czechia, Japan, and Korea. With a loss to Australia and still needing to face the other teams, it would be difficult to imagine a long run happening for the Chinese Taipei team.

It is going to be devastating for the team if their team captain is unable to return to the field. With a massive game in 24 hours against Japan, having Chieh-Hsien Chen not available would make things a lot harder for Chinese Taipei in the 2026 World Baseball Classic.

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