Aaron Judge to captain Team USA in 2026 WBC

New York Yankees slugger Aaron Judge will play for Team USA at the 2026 World Baseball Classic and serve as the squad's captain.

Manager Mark DeRosa made the announcement Monday on MLB Network. Judge is the first player to be named to the team.

The two-time American League MVP did not participate in the 2023 global competition, in which then-captain Mike Trout and the U.S. team lost to the Shohei Ohtani-led Japan team in the gold-medal game.

Judge, 32, expressed his desire to compete in the 2026 WBC during spring training.

"I think that would be pretty fun," the outfielder told Fox Sports on Feb. 19. "It just depends. See where I'm at in my career at that point. Hopefully they still want me."

Judge never has participated in the international event, which runs from March 5-17, 2026. Games will take place in Houston, Miami, Tokyo and San Juan, Puerto Rico, with the semifinals and championship game in Miami.

"It would be cool to represent your country," Judge said. "(Team USA) made it to the finals, but they didn't win it. So we gotta win it. We'll see. We'll see."

Judge entered Monday batting .357 through 15 games. The Yankees captain leads the majors in RBIs (20) and is tied for the lead in home runs (six).

DeRosa is making a return appearance as manager of Team USA, which last won the World Baseball Classic in 2017.

--Field Level Media