Aaron Judge is set to lead Team USA in the 2026 World Baseball Classic (WBC) as the team's newly appointed captain. The announcement was made by Team USA manager Mark DeRosa on MLB Network on Monday. Judge is the first player to commit to the 2026 WBC, and the New York Yankees superstar will be making his WBC debut.
A Humbling Honor
Reflecting on his new role, Judge shared how meaningful it is for him to represent his country in the prestigious tournament. “It’s something special, getting a chance to represent our country,” he said. “I’m just thinking about all the brave men and women that have fought for this country and laid their lives down for us to get a chance to go out here and play a game. It’s a pretty humbling experience.”
Judge chose to forego the 2023 WBC to concentrate on his 62-homer campaign and the whirlwind free-agent negotiations that landed him a nine-year, $360 million contract with the Yankees. In Judge's mind, his very strong commitment was to the Yankees, who had just made him their first captain since Derek Jeter.
A Long-Awaited Opportunity
If not the 2023 WBC, Judge was still keeping his hopes alive for another opportunity to represent his country, and it didn't take long to come by. According to DeRosa, he recently learned from Yankees pitching coach Andy Pettitte and senior director Chad Bohling that Judge had an interest in playing for Team USA in the future.
“When I was named manager, the first guy I thought of was No. 99,” DeRosa remarked. “I wanted him to be the captain. I felt like he’s deserving of it. I watched Mike Trout walk out against Japan holding the flag; I want [Judge] to be that guy.”
The Perfect Choice for Captain
DeRosa also reached out to Mike Trout to inform him that Judge would be succeeding him as Team USA's captain.
According to DeRosa, Trout’s response was simple: “He should be.” Yankees manager Aaron Boone echoed this sentiment, calling Judge "the perfect face" for the role. “In a lot of ways, he’s certainly one of the faces of baseball; such a magnetic personality that people gravitate to, that people around the game love and respect,” Boone said. “I think he’ll be great.”
A Dream Team USA Lineup
Judge expressed his hope that Trout would return to play in the 2026 WBC, saying, “He’d better be out there patrolling the outfield with me.” However, he doesn’t plan on actively recruiting other players for the roster. DeRosa emphasized that Judge’s focus should remain on his leadership role and not worry about the team composition. “From a position player standpoint, I could probably fill out five lineups with guys that want to do it,” DeRosa said, adding that the challenge would lie in securing pitchers since the tournament takes place during Spring Training.
WBC 2026: A Special Event
The 2026 WBC will feature games in San Juan, Tokyo, Houston, and Miami, with the semifinals and finals held at loanDepot Park, home of the Miami Marlins. Team USA will compete in Pool B in Houston during the first round.
Reflecting on the unique nature of the tournament, Judge stated, “You have a bunch of guys that compete against each other all year long, and now you bring us all together — it’s going to be something special. We play this game for such a small amount of time, so to get an opportunity like this, I think guys really gravitate toward it.”
A Mission to Win
Having watched Team USA reach the gold-medal game in the 2023 WBC under Mike Trout’s leadership, Judge is determined to lead his country to its second-ever WBC title, the first since 2017. “I feel like Mark had the recipe [in 2023] to get into the championship; they had a great lineup, great bullpen, and pitching staff,” Judge said. “I think we can add a couple of new pieces with a lot of young players in this game that are exciting and definitely want to represent their country. I think this team is going to be on a mission.”