USA Baseball Rotation for WBC Pool Play, Knockout Games Reportedly Revealed, When Will Skenes Pitch?

Team USA's starting rotation for the 2026 World Baseball Classic has reportedly been revealed.

According to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic, San Francisco Giants starter Logan Webb will open pool play for the United States against Brazil on Friday. Detroit Tigers ace Tarik Skubal is set to pitch on Saturday against Great Britain while Pittsburgh Pirates star Paul Skenes will start against Mexico on Monday.

If the team advances, Webb would also pitch in a potential quarterfinal matchup while Skenes would be lined up to start for Team USA in the semifinal round, per Rosenthal.

New York Mets starter Nolan McLean would then get the start in the WBC final.

Team USA manager Mark DeRosa confirmed that there are "guardrails" for the starting rotation so that each pitcher will be ready for the beginning of the 2026 MLB season.

"Yeah, it's set up," DeRosa said, per ESPN's Jesse Rogers. "There's obviously guardrails for the tournament ... pitch count-wise, but there's also guardrails for guys having to throw on certain days to get ready for their team's Opening Day."

The United States is looking for its first WBC title since 2017. Team USA advanced to the championship game in 2023, but ultimately fell to Team Japan by the final score of 3-2.

The 2026 U.S. squad features an imposing rotation led by Skenes and Skubal, the 2025 Cy Young Award winners in the National League and American League respectively.

Skenes particularly excelled during the 2025 season, posting a 1.97 ERA in 32 starts. He limited opposing hitters to a .199 batting average, amassing 216 strikeouts compared to 42 walks in 187.2 innings of work.

The 23-year-old pitched three innings in Team USA's exhibition game against the San Francisco Giants on Tuesday, recording four strikeouts while giving up one run (h/t Rogers).

The United States' first pool play game against Brazil will begin on Friday at 8 p.m. ET.