<!–>
NEW YORK — For the first time in his professional career, Aaron Judge wore a baseball hat that represented something other than the New York Yankees.
“Got the right size,” Judge said as he smiled and placed a fitted Team USA cap on his head.
Of course, it was the right size, because Mark DeRosa had been dreaming about Judge representing the United States from the moment he agreed to become the manager of Team USA in the 2026 World Baseball Classic.
He doesn’t have to dream anymore. Judge and DeRosa formally announced on Monday afternoon at Yankee Stadium that he’ll serve as the captain for Team USA in next year’s much-anticipated global tournament. It will be Judge’s first time participating in the WBC, and he’s the first player to be named to the Team USA roster for 2026.
ADVERTISEMENT
–>
“Getting the chance to represent the country, 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 there and play a game, it’s a pretty humbling experience,” Judge said. “Happy to represent the U.S. And I’m happy to be your captain.”
For DeRosa, envisioning Judge leading the team onto the field while holding the American flag made too much sense. But first, he had to clear it with the guy who carried the flag before the US took on Team Japan in the 2023 WBC Final. Angels outfielder Mike Trout was the Team USA captain in 2023, and he’s happy to pass that responsibility to Judge.
“I reached out to Trout yesterday,” DeRosa said. “Told him where we were going. He said, ‘He’s the one.’ I couldn’t be more fired up for Aaron Judge to be the captain for Team USA.”
USA vs. Japan Highlights | 2023 World Baseball Classic Championship
Judge said he did not speak with the Yankees prior to his decision to play in the 2026 WBC.
“I think he’s the perfect face to be the captain of Team USA,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said. “I know he’s really excited about it. I think it’ll be a great thing.”
This was DeRosa’s second time asking Judge to play for Team USA. Judge was recruited to join the star-studded US roster in the winter of 2022, but he was a little busy navigating his own free agency at the time. Plus, he had just finished a grind of a 2022 campaign; hitting 62 home runs with the media and fan frenzy that accompanied breaking a historical record can take a toll on anyone.
When the two-time MVP award winner eventually signed a nine-year deal with the Yankees and was named captain in December of that year, his main priority became spending time with his teammates. Judge didn’t feel like it was the right time to abandon the Yankees’ spring training.
But Judge, who will be 33 years old on April 26, said he always wanted to play for Team USA. Now he’ll follow in the footsteps of former Yankees captain Derek Jeter, who represented Team USA in the World Baseball Classic in 2006 and 2009.
“I got an opportunity before I get too old and Mark doesn’t want me out there anymore,” he quipped.
DeRosa played alongside Jeter as a member of Team USA in the 2009 WBC. He appeared in all eight games, hit .316, and led the red, white, and blue with nine RBI on the way to USA’s first semifinal appearance in the event.
“It’s different when you have the USA across your chest. I can’t speak to that enough,” DeRosa said. “Something happens when you put USA across your chest and you walk into the clubhouse and you see all those guys. It just means something a little bit different. You’re playing for way more than yourself. You’re playing for your great-grandfather. You’re playing for your grandparents, your parents, what they represent, your morals, your values, everything. It’s just a different feeling.”
The WBC has seemed to increase in popularity since the USA defeated Puerto Rico to win the championship game in 2017. But there was nothing like the pandemonium that surrounded 2023’s international event, when DeRosa piloted the most star-studded roster in WBC history.
Team USA’s 30-man roster featured 21 All-Stars and four MVPs, including Trout, Mookie Betts, Paul Goldschmidt and Clayton Kershaw. Though they came close two years ago before Shohei Ohtani and Samurai Japan stood in the way, Team USA’s last and only WBC championship was won in 2017. The first three installments of the tournament, which began in 2006, were won by Japan (twice) and the Dominican Republic.
Judge is hungry to reclaim the title for Team USA. Though he will leave the responsibility of player recruitment to his skipper, it will be interesting to see if there’s a ripple effect around baseball now that one of the biggest faces of the sport has announced that he will play. Could reigning National League Rookie of the Year Paul Skenes be next? What about All-Star shortstop Bobby Witt Jr.?
“I think this team is going to be on a mission,” Judge said. “A lot of hungry guys from the last WBC team that want to be in it. I’m going to leave it up to Mark and let him do his thing. Get the team that he got last time and add a couple more faces.”
DeRosa said, from a position-player standpoint, he could “probably fill out five lineups with guys that want to do it.” But it’s the pitching staff that will be more difficult to lock down. Pitchers (and their managers) are typically apprehensive about messing with their ramp-ups from their offseason layoffs in case it leads to injury. Since the WBC takes place during spring training, it can be tough for pitchers to agree to jump into that competitive playoff environment while keeping in mind that they’re still building up their workloads for the Major League Baseball season.
“That’s the hardest thing for these guys,” DeRosa said. “They’re coming right out of 10 days in spring training and they’re getting smacked in the mouth with a playoff at-bat. But that’s the beauty of it as well, to see the greatest players in our country come together and kind of — I don’t want to say shed their egos, because that’s what makes them successful — but play as one, and play as a team.”
“I feel like we’re all under one flag, one nation,” Judge said. “I think that’s a pretty cool concept that you get a bunch of guys that compete against each other all year long, and now you can bring us all together and fight under one mission. It’s going to be something special. The excitement of getting a chance to represent your country. We play this game for such a small amount of time, so to get an opportunity like this, I think guys really gravitate towards it.”
Full WBC rosters will be finalized by next February. Team USA will play in Pool B, which will include Brazil, Great Britain, Italy and Mexico. Pool B is scheduled to take place from March 6-11 at Daikin Park in Houston, the home of the Astros. The semifinals and finals will be held in Miami at LoanDepot Park, the home of the Miami Marlins, beginning on March 15.
Until then, Judge is on a different mission. He’s focused on getting the Yankees back to the World Series and winning his first championship. Simple enough.
“I’m hoping for a long, long season this year,” Judge said. “Very short offseason. And we’ll just keep it rolling right into the WBC.”
Deesha Thosar is a MLB reporter and columnist for FOX Sports. She previously covered the Mets for four years as a beat reporter for the New York Daily News. Follow her on Twitter at @DeeshaThosar.
Aaron Judge
New York Yankees
Major League Baseball
<!–>
recommended
Get more from Major League Baseball Follow your favorites to get information about games, news and more
–>
This news was originally published on this post .
About the author
Browns select Shedeur Sanders at No. 144 pick, what drop says about the QB | First Things First
first things first Video Details Nick Wright, Chris Broussard, Kevin Wildes and Coach Eric Mangini react to the Cleveland Browns drafting Shedeur Sanders with the No. 144 pick in the fifth round. They then discuss what this drop says about Sanders. JUST IN・first things first・4:45
Treinadora da Ferroviária, Jéssica de Lima, fala sobre a vitória da equipe contra o Palmeiras: “É uma equipe que sempre luta muito”
Jéssica Lima, treinadora da Ferroviária, destaca campanha do time no Brasileirão (Reprodução/Ferroviária) A Ferroviária conseguiu uma grande vitória fora de casa na 7ª rodada do Brasileirão Feminino contra o Palmeiras. Em um jogo extremamente pegado e disputado, as Guerreiras Grenás começaram melhor e saíram na frente com um gol de Darlene no primeiro tempo. Entretanto, logo no começo do segundo tempo, Pati Maldaner conseguiu marcar empatar a partida, colocando ainda mais fogo no confronto. Porém, na reta final da partida, Júlia Beatriz marcou o gol da vitória da Ferroviária, gol esse que manteve a equipe paulista na ponta da tabela do Brasileirão Feminino. PUBLICIDADE PUBLICIDADE Jéssica de Lima fala sobre a campanha das Guerreiras Grenás no Brasileirão Feminino Após a partida, em entrevista coletiva, a treinadora Jéssica de Lima falou comentou sobre a campanha da equipe no Brasileirão Feminino, dizendo […]
Pilhado crava goleiro que virou piada no Brasil: “Tá sendo um mico”
Pilhado opina sobre a seleção brasileira. Foto: Reprodução Pilhado não poupou palavras para criticar Cássio e sinalizou que o goleiro deveria “pendurar as chuteiras”. Ídolo histórico do Corinthians, o experiente atleta se tornou alvo de críticas por conta de falhas constantes no Cruzeiro. “Pode até gerar uma certa polêmica, mas é minha opinião: eu acho que tem jogador que não sabe a hora de parar. Eu sei que pode ser por conta de dinheiro, salário muito alto… Mas olha o que está acontecendo com o Cássio. Foi um dos grandes goleiros que eu vi no futebol brasileiro, eu sou muito fã dele. Sempre foi decisivo, final de Mundial, Libertadores… É um dos grandes goleiros dos últimos anos do futebol brasileiro”, salientou o apresentador do programa “Bate-Pronto”, da Jovem Pan. PUBLICIDADE PUBLICIDADE “Mas olha o papelão que o Cássio vem passando […]
Jalen Hurts among Eagles skipping Super Bowl visit to White House due to ‘scheduling conflict’
Imagn Images The Philadelphia Eagles are visiting the White House on Monday, but one key player didn't make the trip and that's Jalen Hurts.The Eagles quarterback isn't at the team's Super Bowl celebration in Washington, D.C., because he has a "scheduling conflict," according to NBC News White House correspondent Yamiche Alcindor. NBC also reported that several other players will likely miss the event. The Eagles have known since mid-March that the White House celebration would be on April 28. The fact that Hurts won't be showing up isn't a huge surprise. He had hinted last week that he probably wouldn't be making the trip. Hurts was in New York recently for the 2025 TIME100 gala and while he was walking the red carpet, a reporter asked him if he was "planning on visiting the White House," and Hurts gave about as noncommittal of an […]
Rob Manfred discussed Pete Rose with President Trump, will rule on reinstatement
<!--> Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred said he discussed Pete Rose with President Donald Trump at a meeting two weeks ago and he plans to rule on a request to end the sport's permanent ban of the career hits leader, who died in September.Speaking Monday at a meeting of the Associated Press Sports Editors, Manfred said he and Trump have discussed several issues, including Manfred's concerns over how Trump's immigration policies could impact players from Cuba, Venezuela and other foreign countries.Manfred is considering a petition to have Rose posthumously removed from MLB's permanently ineligible list. The petition was filed in January by Jeffrey Lenkov, a Southern California lawyer who represented Rose prior to the 17-time All-Star's death at age 83."I met with President Trump two weeks ago, I guess now, and one of the topics was Pete Rose, but I’m not […]
Show da Lady Gaga faz seleção masculina de vôlei antecipar ida para CT recém formado; entenda
A seleção brasileira de vôlei masculino inicia nesta terça-feira os primeiros treinos visando a Liga das Nações, que será disputada a partir do dia 11 de julho. As atividades estavam planejadas para serem realizadas no Rio de Janeiro. Mas o show da Lady Gaga, que acontece no sábado, na Praia de Copacabana, gerou a falta de opções de hospedagem pela capital. Diante deste contexto, a decisão foi por antecipar a ida para o centro de treinamento recém reformado, em Saquarema. Local definido: Conmebol anuncia que final da Libertadores 2025 será em LimaTênis: Organização cancela dia de jogos no Masters 1000 de Madri após apagão generalizado Os atletas e comissão técnica ficariam a semana no Rio, treinando Escola de Capacitação Física do Exército, na Urca, e hospedados no hotel Regina, no Flamengo. No novo planejamento, ele chegaram todos ao local nesta […]
Related
Browns select Shedeur Sanders at No. 144 pick, what drop says about the QB | First Things First
first things first Video Details Nick Wright, Chris Broussard, Kevin Wildes and Coach Eric Mangini react to the Cleveland Browns drafting Shedeur Sanders with the No. 144 pick in the fifth round. They then discuss what this drop says about Sanders. JUST IN・first things first・4:45
Treinadora da Ferroviária, Jéssica de Lima, fala sobre a vitória da equipe contra o Palmeiras: “É uma equipe que sempre luta muito”
Jéssica Lima, treinadora da Ferroviária, destaca campanha do time no Brasileirão (Reprodução/Ferroviária) A Ferroviária conseguiu uma grande vitória fora de casa na 7ª rodada do Brasileirão Feminino contra o Palmeiras. Em um jogo extremamente pegado e disputado, as Guerreiras Grenás começaram melhor e saíram na frente com um gol de Darlene no primeiro tempo. Entretanto, logo no começo do segundo tempo, Pati Maldaner conseguiu marcar empatar a partida, colocando ainda mais fogo no confronto. Porém, na reta final da partida, Júlia Beatriz marcou o gol da vitória da Ferroviária, gol esse que manteve a equipe paulista na ponta da tabela do Brasileirão Feminino. PUBLICIDADE PUBLICIDADE Jéssica de Lima fala sobre a campanha das Guerreiras Grenás no Brasileirão Feminino Após a partida, em entrevista coletiva, a treinadora Jéssica de Lima falou comentou sobre a campanha da equipe no Brasileirão Feminino, dizendo […]
Pilhado crava goleiro que virou piada no Brasil: “Tá sendo um mico”
Pilhado opina sobre a seleção brasileira. Foto: Reprodução Pilhado não poupou palavras para criticar Cássio e sinalizou que o goleiro deveria “pendurar as chuteiras”. Ídolo histórico do Corinthians, o experiente atleta se tornou alvo de críticas por conta de falhas constantes no Cruzeiro. “Pode até gerar uma certa polêmica, mas é minha opinião: eu acho que tem jogador que não sabe a hora de parar. Eu sei que pode ser por conta de dinheiro, salário muito alto… Mas olha o que está acontecendo com o Cássio. Foi um dos grandes goleiros que eu vi no futebol brasileiro, eu sou muito fã dele. Sempre foi decisivo, final de Mundial, Libertadores… É um dos grandes goleiros dos últimos anos do futebol brasileiro”, salientou o apresentador do programa “Bate-Pronto”, da Jovem Pan. PUBLICIDADE PUBLICIDADE “Mas olha o papelão que o Cássio vem passando […]
Jalen Hurts among Eagles skipping Super Bowl visit to White House due to ‘scheduling conflict’
Imagn Images The Philadelphia Eagles are visiting the White House on Monday, but one key player didn't make the trip and that's Jalen Hurts.The Eagles quarterback isn't at the team's Super Bowl celebration in Washington, D.C., because he has a "scheduling conflict," according to NBC News White House correspondent Yamiche Alcindor. NBC also reported that several other players will likely miss the event. The Eagles have known since mid-March that the White House celebration would be on April 28. The fact that Hurts won't be showing up isn't a huge surprise. He had hinted last week that he probably wouldn't be making the trip. Hurts was in New York recently for the 2025 TIME100 gala and while he was walking the red carpet, a reporter asked him if he was "planning on visiting the White House," and Hurts gave about as noncommittal of an […]
Rob Manfred discussed Pete Rose with President Trump, will rule on reinstatement
<!--> Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred said he discussed Pete Rose with President Donald Trump at a meeting two weeks ago and he plans to rule on a request to end the sport's permanent ban of the career hits leader, who died in September.Speaking Monday at a meeting of the Associated Press Sports Editors, Manfred said he and Trump have discussed several issues, including Manfred's concerns over how Trump's immigration policies could impact players from Cuba, Venezuela and other foreign countries.Manfred is considering a petition to have Rose posthumously removed from MLB's permanently ineligible list. The petition was filed in January by Jeffrey Lenkov, a Southern California lawyer who represented Rose prior to the 17-time All-Star's death at age 83."I met with President Trump two weeks ago, I guess now, and one of the topics was Pete Rose, but I’m not […]
Show da Lady Gaga faz seleção masculina de vôlei antecipar ida para CT recém formado; entenda
A seleção brasileira de vôlei masculino inicia nesta terça-feira os primeiros treinos visando a Liga das Nações, que será disputada a partir do dia 11 de julho. As atividades estavam planejadas para serem realizadas no Rio de Janeiro. Mas o show da Lady Gaga, que acontece no sábado, na Praia de Copacabana, gerou a falta de opções de hospedagem pela capital. Diante deste contexto, a decisão foi por antecipar a ida para o centro de treinamento recém reformado, em Saquarema. Local definido: Conmebol anuncia que final da Libertadores 2025 será em LimaTênis: Organização cancela dia de jogos no Masters 1000 de Madri após apagão generalizado Os atletas e comissão técnica ficariam a semana no Rio, treinando Escola de Capacitação Física do Exército, na Urca, e hospedados no hotel Regina, no Flamengo. No novo planejamento, ele chegaram todos ao local nesta […]
Be the first to leave a comment