2026 World Baseball Classic: Bryce Harper joins the Team USA roster

The sixth edition of the World Baseball Classic will be played in March 2026, three years after a thrilling 2023 finale between USA and Japan. That, of course, ended when Shohei Ohtani struck out then-Angels teammate Mike Trout. It was the most captivating moment of the baseball season, MLB postseason included. Hopefully we’re in for more of the same next spring.

The WBC expanded to 20 teams last time and the top four finishers in the four 2023 pools received an automatic berth into the 2026 WBC. Those 16 teams are Australia, Canada, Cuba, Czechia, Dominican Republic, Great Britain, Israel, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Netherlands, Panama, Puerto Rico, South Korea, United States, and Venezuela. Brazil, Chinese Taipei, Colombia, and Nicaragua earned the final four berths in qualifying tournaments during spring training 2025.

The pools for the 2026 WBC were finalized in April, with the U.S. in the same bracket as Mexico, Italy, Great Britain, and Brazil. The tournament opens with Pool C (Tokyo) on March 5. Pool A (Puerto Rico), Pool B (Houston), and Pool D (Miami) begin play the next day. The Championship Game is scheduled for Tuesday, March 17, at loanDepot Park in Miami, the same venue that hosted the 2023 WBC Championship Game. Long-time big leaguer and current MLB Network analyst Mark DeRosa will return as Team USA’s manager.

“Getting the chance to share the clubhouse and dugout with USA’s greatest staff and players was one of the highlights of my life,” DeRosa said in April. “I’m extremely grateful and fired up to get another opportunity to put USA across my chest come March.”

Japan went 7-0 and outscored their opponents 56-18 in their seven games en route to their third WBC title in 2023 (they also won in 2006 and 2009). The Dominican Republic won the 2013 WBC and USA won the 2017 tournament. Here now are the players who have already committed to suiting up for USA in the 2026 WBC. The roster is subject to change right up until it is announced officially. 

Judge, the reigning two-time American League MVP, was announced as USA’s captain and the first player to commit to the club back in April. It will be his first time playing in the WBC. “I wanted to be there (in 2023). I was looking forward to this opportunity again,” the Yankees slugger said, noting he skipped the 2023 WBC because he had just been named New York’s captain and wanted to focus on that. This past season, Judge slugged 53 home runs and led baseball in batting average (.331), on-base percentage (.457), slugging percentage (.688), and WAR (9.7).

USA will have the reigning AL MVP in the lineup and the reigning National League Cy Young atop the rotation. Skenes, who pitched for Air Force before transferring to LSU, committed to USA in May. “If I ever get the chance to do this, I’m never saying no,” he said. With all due respect to Jake Peavy and Roger Clemens, who was nearing the end of his career in 2006, Skenes very well might be the best pitcher to ever suit up for USA in the WBC. He had a 1.97 ERA with 216 strikeouts in 187 ⅔ innings this season, and joined Doc Gooden as the only pitchers in history to win Rookie of the Year one year and Cy Young the next.

Bobby Baseball is returning to the WBC. Witt committed to USA in June and figures to their starting shortstop this time around. He was on the 2023 roster and was used primarily as a pinch-runner, going 1 for 2 with a double in his five appearances. “It’s a blast. These are the things you dream of,” Witt said about the 2023 WBC. Back then, he was heading into his sophomore season. This time around, Witt is a fully formed superstar. He authored a .295/.351/.501 slash line with 23 homers, 38 steals, and a league-leading 47 doubles in 2025. Witt finished fourth in the AL MVP voting and won his second straight Gold Glove.

USA will have a 60-homer man behind the plate next spring. Raleigh set a new single-season home run record for a catcher and a switch-hitter in 2025, and was the runner-up to Judge for AL MVP. It will be his first WBC experience. “I’m just very honored that they would pick me and I’m really looking forward to hopefully creating a memory and winning gold,” Raleigh said in July. He led MLB in homers (60) and RBI (125) this past season while slashing .247/.359/.589 and playing excellent defense at the game’s most demanding position.

Fresh off a 30-30 season, Crow-Armstrong and his Gold Glove defense will roam center field for USA in the WBC. His commitment to the event was confirmed in November. “I love playing for my country more than anything,” Crow-Armstrong said. PCA was a 6.0 WAR player in 2025 thanks to top of the line defense as well as his 31 homers and 35 steals. He joined Sammy Sosa as the only players in Cubs’ history to go 30-30 and finished ninth in the NL MVP voting.

USA’s outfield will feature three All-Stars and three top-9 finishers in the MVP voting. Carroll will join Crow-Armstrong and Judge on the roster, he announced in November. “It was not a hard decision. I couldn’t be more excited. It’s going to be awesome,” Carroll said. He led the league in triples for the third year in a row in 2025, and hit .259/.343/.541 with 31 home runs and 32 steals. It was Carroll’s first 30-30 season. He was an All-Star for the second time and he finished sixth in the NL MVP voting, his second time finishing that high (fifth in 2023).

One of the game’s top right-handed relievers will be in USA’s bullpen. Whitlock announced his commitment to USA on social media in November. It will be his first time playing in the tournament. After battling injuries and bouncing between the rotation and bullpen from 2022-24, Whitlock became a full-time reliever in 2025 and threw 72 innings with a 2.25 ERA and 91 strikeouts. He frequently worked multiple innings, which will come in handy in the early rounds of the WBC, when pitchers are held to strict pitch limits.

After battling injury and inconsistency for the first decade of his MLB career, Boyd busted out with his first All-Star berth in 2025 at age 34. He announced Wednesday on Foul Territory that he’ll be on Team USA for the WBC in 2026. Boyd returned from Tommy John surgery in 2024 with the Guardians and pitched to a 2.72 ERA in eight starts. It was good enough to earn a two-year, $29 million deal with an option for 2027 from the Cubs. In 2025, he went 14-8 with a 3.21 ERA and 154 strikeouts in 179 ⅔ innings. Upon his announcement, Boyd became the first left-handed pitcher on Team USA for this cycle and it seems pretty likely he’ll be in the rotation for the event.

Schwarber, one of the game’s most productive hitters, hasn’t yet chosen which team he’ll suit up for during the coming regular season. He has, however, declared that he’ll play for Team USA in the World Baseball Classic. Schwarber has averaged a 135 OPS+ with 47 home runs per season over the last three years.

Smith, fresh off winning a second World Series title in a row, will be in the squat for Team USA as he pursues an international championship to add to his collection. Smith has developed into one of the best backstops in baseball and over the past three seasons has amassed a 125 OPS+ and 12 Wins Above Replacement.

Henderson will be making his first WBC appearance after blossoming into a star with the Orioles in recent years. Over the course of his first four seasons in the majors, he’s compiled a 134 OPS+ and more than 21 Wins Above Replacement. His experience at shortstop and third base could come in handy, depending on the rest of the roster.

Turang is fresh off a breakout season with the Brewers that saw him post new career highs in home runs (18) and WAR (5.6). He’s a high-quality defender capable of stealing a base as well, giving him a broad base of skills. Turang will be a weapon for USA regardless of whether he starts at second base, or comes off the bench to pinch-hit/pinch-run.

One of the game’s more underrated relievers, Cleavinger figures to be DeRosa’s go-to lefty in the WBC. He threw 61 ⅓ innings with a 2.35 ERA in 2025, and struck out 33.7% of the batters he faced. That was a top-15 mark among relievers, and fourth highest among lefties. Cleavinger held same-side hitters to a .187 batting average and .274 on-base percentage this past season, his sixth in the majors and fourth with Tampa.

Jax, one of the most sought after relievers at the 2025 trade deadline, will be part of USA’s bullpen in the WBC. The former Twin/current Ray had an unsightly 4.23 ERA this past season, though his underlying numbers are off the charts good. Jax’s 35.0% strikeout rate and 18.1% swinging strike rate are among the very best in baseball thanks to a monster sweeper and upper-90s fastball. Few pitchers are as good at missing bats as Jax. 

USA’s rotation will include a leading candidate for 2026 NL Rookie of the Year. McLean made his MLB debut with the Mets this past August and dazzled down the stretch, pitching to a 2.06 ERA with 57 strikeouts in 48 innings. His deep six-pitch arsenal, which includes a mid-90s sinker and big-breaking sweeper, gives McLean the second-best pure stuff on USA’s staff behind Skenes.

Holmes, McLean’s rotation mate in Queens, will also be on USA’s roster. He made the transition from reliever to starter in 2025 and things went well: 3.53 ERA in 165 ⅔ innings. Given his experience as a reliever and ability to pitch multiple innings as a starter, Holmes would make for an interesting multi-inning relief weapon in the WBC, particularly when pitchers are held to strict pitch limits in the early rounds.

A top trade candidate this offseason, it’s not clear if Ryan will be camp with the Twins or a different team in the spring, but he will be on USA’s roster. The 29 year old had a 3.42 ERA in 171 innings in 2025 and was dominant in the first half before fading a bit down the stretch.

Skubal joins Skenes and Ryan to give Team USA an impressive rotation. He’s coming off consecutive Cy Young Award victories, having most recently compiled a 187 ERA+ and a 6.5 Wins Above Replacement, and will be entering his walk year once his WBC commitments conclude.

Miller will be logging his first WBC appearance. He’s solidifed himself as one of the best and most electric relievers in the sport over the last three years, notching a 147 ERA+ and a 3.78 strikeout-to-walk ratio. Miller is expected to remain in the bullpen in 2026, though there were previously rumors he might transition back to the rotation.

Bednar gives manager Mark DeRosa yet another high-leverage option, joining Miller as Team USA arms with substantive closing experience. Bednar recovered from a year-long swoon in style, posting a 184 ERA+ in 62 games split between the Pirates and Yankees.

With Webb joining Skenes and Skubal, the case can be made the three best American-born starting pitchers will be in USA’s roster for the WBC. Webb has led baseball in innings each of the last three years and he has three straight top-six finishes in the Cy Young voting to his name. He also set a new career high with an NL-leading 224 strikeouts in 2025.

Harper announced on Instagram Dec. 23 that he’ll join Team USA. This will be the first time Harper plays in the WBC. He was set to play for USA in 2023, but had to back out due to an elbow injury that ended up costing him a chunk of the MLB season that year. The two-time MVP hit .261/.357/.487 (129 OPS+) with 27 homers and 75 RBI in 132 games last season.