With spring training and the World Baseball Classic right around the corner, the Yankees are preparing for several of their players to leave camp so that they can train with their respective countries for the international tournament.
Right fielder Aaron Judge is the club’s most notable WBC participant, as he will captain Team USA. Closer David Bednar is also suiting up for the stars and stripes, as is former Yankees starter and current special assistant Andy Pettitte. He’ll be Team USA’s pitching coach.
Then there’s Puerto Rico, which spent the weekend considering withdrawal from the WBC after a handful of players ran into insurance issues. Before the team’s federation began mulling that, highly-touted pitching prospect Elmer Rodríguez was named to the roster. His participation was contingent on him being a starter, as the 22-year-old did not want to deviate from the routine that the Yankees have him on.
Reliever Fernando Cruz also remains on the Puerto Rican federation’s list of interest.
Great Britain will have a few Yankees, including second baseman Jazz Chisholm Jr., pitching prospect Brendan Beck, and director of catching/major league field coordinator Tanner Swanson. Swanson will serve as the Brits’ bench coach.
Reliever Camilo Doval, meanwhile, plans to pitch for the Dominican Republic. He’ll be joined by Yankees utilityman Amed Rosario.
Yankees bench coach Brad Ausmus has been tabbed to manage Team Israel. Minor league reliever Harrison Cohen will accompany him.
Then there’s Team Italy, which is being managed by ex-Yankee Francisco Cervelli. Another former Bombers backstop, Jorge Posada, will be on his coaching staff.
With MLB Network set to announce official rosters for all 20 WBC teams on Feb. 5, other Yankees with known interest in the tournament include catcher Austin Wells (Dominican Republic) and utilityman José Caballero (Panama).
Outfielder Cody Bellinger recently said that he is unlikely to play for Team USA after signing a new deal with the Yankees, though he would like to in the future. Max Fried previously turned down an invite to play for Team USA as well, but the Yankees will nonetheless have more than a few absences in camp.
While the length of those absences will depend on how well a player’s country does in the WBC, the tournament should create more opportunities for young players, names at the backend of the Yankees’ 40-man roster and non-roster invitees this spring.
The Yankees, meanwhile, will have to hope that their WBC participants avoid the injury bug while away from the team, especially with their starting second baseman, top two relievers and the reigning American League MVP all playing.
Judge, for one, battled a flexor strain toward the end of last season that limited his throwing. However, Aaron Boone recently said that Judge is doing well and that his offseason throwing program is ahead of schedule in anticipation of the WBC.
Another Reunion?
With the Yankees still looking for a right-handed bench bat, a source confirmed that the club offered Austin Slater a major league deal earlier this offseason. The two sides have kept in touch, though a few other teams have shown interest in the free agent outfielder.
The Athletic’s Brendan Kuty first reported that the Yankees had made an offer to Slater.
The Yanks acquired the 33-year-old from the White Sox before the trade deadline last summer, but he only played in 14 games for New York due to a hamstring strain. Slater owns a 119 wRC+ against lefties for his career and wouldn’t command regular playing time with Judge, Bellinger and Trent Grisham projected to start for the Yankees.
Slater is not the only right-handed bench bat the Yankees can add, as outfielder Randal Grichuk and first baseman Paul Goldschmidt, who spent the 2025 season with the team, also remain on the free agent market. The Yankees wouldn’t mind adding a righty-swinging catcher, either, though that could be tougher to come by.
Robertson Retires
David Robertson, who pitched for the Yankees and Mets, announced his retirement after 17 seasons on Friday. The 40-year-old was the last active major leaguer from the Yankees’ 2009 championship team.
The right-handed Robertson ended his career with a 2.93 ERA and 179 saves. He first pitched for the Yankees from 2008-2014 and then again from 2017-2018.
