Team USA is putting together a star-spangled roster for the 2026 World Baseball Classic.
Kyle Schwarber, Gunnar Henderson, Will Smith and Brice Turang are the latest additions to a team already headlined by the Yankees’ Aaron Judge, who will serve as the captain.
Schwarber, who on Tuesday agreed to a five-year, $150 million contract to stay with the Philadelphia Phillies, slugged a career-high 56 home runs and was the runner-up in National League MVP voting in 2025.
Henderson, the 24-year-old shortstop of the Baltimore Orioles, already boasts an American League Rookie of the Year trophy, an All-Star selection and a Silver Slugger Award in his four-year career.
Smith, a three-time All-Star catcher for the Los Angeles Dodgers, is a little over a month removed from hitting the game-winning home run in Game 7 of the World Series.
And Turang, a slick-fielding middle infielder for the Milwaukee Brewers, is fresh off of a breakout season in which he hit 18 home runs with 81 RBI and 24 stolen bases.
Tuesday’s quartet further bolsters a roster that also includes Paul Skenes, Cal Raleigh, Bobby Witt Jr., Pete Crow-Armstrong and Corbin Carroll. Mark DeRosa is Team USA’s manager.
Team USA, which won its first WBC championship in 2017, is retooling after finishing in second place to Team Japan in 2023.
Shohei Ohtani, who was the MVP of the 2023 WBC, is set to return for Japan.
Los Angeles Dodgers teammates Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Roki Sasaki have not officially committed to joining Ohtani for Japan’s title defense, but both pitchers are candidates to compete in the global baseball tournament again.
Mets star Francisco Lindor, meanwhile, is returning as the captain of Team Puerto Rico, whom he helped lead to the quarterfinal round in 2023.
Houston, Tokyo, San Juan and Miami are set to host games at next year’s WBC, which is scheduled for March 5-17. The championship game is scheduled for March 17 at loanDepot Park in Miami.
