Aaron Judge is one of the best players in Major League Baseball and the face of the New York Yankees. Could he add being the face of Team USA to his resumé in the upcoming 2026 World Baseball Classic?
He’s leaving the door open.
In 2023, Team USA finished second in the World Baseball Classic, falling to Team Japan as Shohei Ohtani led the team to victory. Team USA had Los Angeles Angels outfielder Mike Trout leading the way in his first time as part of the tournament. Trout was joined by other MLB All-Stars like Mookie Betts, Kyle Tucker and Bobby Witt Jr.
Perhaps the biggest name missing from the team was the Yankees superstar, who was coming off his second American League Most Valuable Player award win at the time. Judge declined the chance to represent Team USA to focus on the Yankees and getting to a championship. After coming so close to winning his first World Series in 2024, he seems to have changed his tune on playing a year out from the next opportunity.
The now three-time AL MVP was asked about the possibility of playing for Team USA in the 2026 edition of the tournament, and Judge provided an exciting answer for baseball fans, per Fox Sports’ Deesha Thosar.
“I think that’d be pretty fun,” Judge said. “It’d be cool to represent your country. (Team USA) made it to the finals, but they didn’t win it. So we gotta win it. We’ll see.”
Judge earned his third MVP award last season when he delivered a slash line of .322/.458/.701 with 58 home runs, 144 RBIs, 1.159 OPS, and a 223 OPS+. If he agrees to join Team USA in 2026, there’s a real chance that they enter as the favorites over the defending champions. The Yankees captain has a year to decide and baseball fans will be waiting.
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