Aaron Judge Named Captain of Team USA for 2026 World Baseball Classic
On Monday, Team USA’s manager in next year’s World Baseball Classic, Mark DeRosa, announced on MLB Network that Yankees slugger Aaron Judge will be the captain of the USA squad.
The 2026 WBC will be the first time Judge participates in the international tournament. He did not play for the USA in 2023, instead focusing on the upcoming season for the Yankees.
According to MLB.com’s Thomas Harrigan, Judge is the first player committed to play for the USA at next year’s WBC.
“Just getting a chance to represent this country, what this country means to me,” Judge said on MLB Network on Monday. “Honestly, every game, during the national anthem [and] ‘God Bless America,’ getting a chance to sit out there, for me it’s a time to reflect about all the brave men and women that have fought for this country and given me the opportunity to step on a baseball field and play a game that I love.”
Los Angeles Angels outfielder Mike Trout was Team USA’s captain in the 2023 WBC. Harrigan reports that when DeRosa informed Trout that Judge would serve as the team's captain next year, Trout replied concisely: “He should be.”
The USA fell short of its goal in the 2023 WBC, losing the championship game 3-2 to Shohei Ohtani and Samurai Japan.
In 2026, Team USA will compete in Pool B alongside Mexico, Italy, Great Britain, and Brazil. The action will occur at Daikin Park (formerly Minute Maid Park) in Houston, Texas, from March 6-11.
For more information on the 2026 WBC, click here.
Image Credit: Tom Horak-Imagn Images
More to come!