Taipei: Catcher Lyle Lin on Tuesday announced his withdrawal from Taiwan's World Baseball Classic (WBC) qualifiers roster after signing a minor league deal with Major League Baseball's (MLB) Oakland Athletics (A's) and receiving an invitation to spring training. Lin stated that the contract, which includes his first invite to major league spring training since being drafted in 2019, requires his full attendance at the A's preseason schedule in Phoenix, Arizona.

According to Focus Taiwan, Lin took to Facebook to apologize for any inconvenience caused to the national team and expressed gratitude to manager Tseng Hao-jiu for providing another opportunity to join the national team. Lin had previously participated in the squad that secured the World Baseball Softball Confederation's (WBSC) Premier12 championship in November 2024. He also thanked Taiwanese baseball fans for their unwavering support, which he believes was instrumental in the team's Premier12 victory despite being the underdogs.

Lin urged fans to continue supporting him as they do the national team, vowing to meet their expectations and never give up. "I am proud to be a part of Team Taiwan. We are Team Taiwan," he wrote. In a show of support, Tsai Chi-chang, president of Taiwan's Chinese Professional Baseball League (CPBL), expressed his full backing of Lin's decision.

Tsai also mentioned that infielder Cheng Tsung-che has withdrawn from the initial 36-player training roster. The WBC qualifiers are set to commence in Taipei on Feb. 21, with Taiwan scheduled to face Spain on that day at 7 p.m., followed by matches against South Africa on Feb. 22 at 7 p.m., and Nicaragua on Feb. 23 at 7 p.m.