Paul Skenes Commits to USA for 2026 World Baseball Classic, Joins Aaron Judge, More

Paul Skenes will join Aaron Judge on Team USA at the 2026 World Baseball Classic.

The Pittsburgh Pirates star confirmed on MLB Network's MLB Central he will pitch for the U.S. in the international tournament.

Judge was the first player to commit to Team USA and will be the team captain. This will also mark the WBC debut for the New York Yankees superstar.

Former MLB player Mark DeRosa is returning to manage the team after leading the Americans to a runner-up finish in 2023.

While the 2026 WBC will mark Skenes' debut in the tournament, he has extensive experience with Team USA. The right-hander previously played for the U.S. on the 12U National Team in 2014 and the collegiate national team in 2021 and 2022.

Skenes' most recent appearance for Team USA was against the Netherlands in July 2022. He tossed four shutout innings in a 10-0 victory.

Getting a commitment from Skenes is a huge boon for DeRosa, who previously acknowledged finding enough pitching would be the real test when filling out the roster.

"From a position-player standpoint I could probably fill out five lineups with guys that want to do it," DeRosa said last month after Judge committed to play. "It'll be the pitching that we have to lock down."

Skenes, the No. 1 pick in the 2023 MLB draft, is on the short list of best pitchers in the sport. He has a 2.16 ERA and 223 strikeouts in 187.2 innings over 32 starts since making his big league debut on May 11, 2024.

Team USA will be in Pool B, along with Mexico, Italy, Great Britain and Brazil. Pool play will take place from March 4-11, 2026. The top two teams in each pool advance to the knockout rounds.

The United States' lone victory in the WBC came in 2017, and it has finished in the top three a total of three times.