Aaron Judge is adding another captaincy to his already illustrious resume, as it was announced on Monday morning that the Yankees' superstar will be the captain of Team USA in the 2026 World Baseball Classic.
USA manager Mark DeRosa made the announcement on MLB Network, with Judge joining MLB Central to share his thoughts. The skipper-slugger tandem also spoke during a press conference at Yankee Stadium on Monday afternoon.
"I've always wanted to play for Team USA. Watching the last couple of WBCs, what a great experience," Judge said. "I've been telling everybody here, I told everybody a couple years ago that I want to be a part of it... We're going to have an exciting group. They had a great group last time, and I'm just excited to be a piece of that."
The most recent World Baseball Classic took place in March 2023, when USA lost to Japan in a memorable championship final.
Judge didn’t play in the 2023 WBC, as he was just coming off an intense free agency period that secured him a nine-year, $360 million contract with the Yankees. But the slugger is now ready to proudly wear “USA” and lead what is sure to be a star-studded roster.
"It was tough [watching in 2023], especially looking at the group they had," Judge admitted. "But I felt my first responsibilty was to the Yankees. I just signed a new deal, just got named team captain. I wanted to be a big part of getting the Yankees back to where they needed to be. Now after we have another deep run this year and finish the job, it'll be fun to go out there and represent our country."
Judge also revealed that he didn't seek permission from the Yankees to participate in the World Baseball Classic. While there's an obvious risk of injury in the highly competitive games that deliver playoff atmospheres, he didn't express any concern with the ramp-up period and adjustments to his spring training routine.
The 2026 World Baseball Classic is scheduled to take place March 5-17, 2026, with games taking place in the United States, Puerto Rico, and Japan.
