Reigning AL MVP Aaron Judge to Captain Team USA in First World Baseball Classic Participation in 2026

27 posts • Grok (2)

Updated Apr 14, 2025, 07:28 PM

Aaron Judge, the New York Yankees' captain and reigning American League Most Valuable Player, has been named the captain of Team USA for the 2026 World Baseball Classic. This marks Judge's first participation in the tournament, having previously opted out of the 2023 event due to his commitment to the Yankees during spring training. Judge signed a 9-year, $360 million contract with the Yankees, which influenced his decision to focus on the team in 2023. The announcement was made by Mark DeRosa, who will return as the manager of Team USA for the upcoming tournament. Judge's decision to join the team comes after he expressed regret for missing the last WBC, which he watched from home as Team USA, led by captain Mike Trout, finished as runners-up to Japan, with Shohei Ohtani striking out Trout to end the game. Judge, who turns 33 later this month, is currently off to a strong start in the 2025 season, leading the league with six home runs and 20 RBIs over his first 15 games. His participation in the WBC, scheduled for March 6-11 at the Houston Astros' Daikin Park, is anticipated to elevate the competitive level of the tournament.

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#Aaron Judge #New York Yankees #Team USA #2026 World Baseball Classic #Yankees #Mark DeRosa #WBC #Mike Trout #Japan #Shohei Ohtani #Trout #Houston Astros #Daikin Park

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Sources

usatoday.com msn.com record.com.mx instagram.com

USA TODAY Sports

@usatodaysports

New York Yankees captain Aaron Judge has agreed to be the newest "Captain America" at the 2026 World Baseball Classic. https://t.co/3A3jQV0dmF

Bryan Hoch ⚾️

@BryanHoch

Aaron Judge and Mark DeRosa discuss Judge being named Team USA captain for the 2026 World Baseball Classic … @wbcbaseball https://t.co/u2fOe1MgEm

MSN Japan

@MSNJapan

Judge, 26 WBC participation & captain decided, hope for a joint battle with Trout... “It would be great if we could protect the outfield together”, will the dream match against Otani come true https://t.co/5KJs5PQXIm