Team USA Lineup for 2026 World Baseball Classic Final vs. Venezuela Unveiled, Raleigh Not Starting

Team USA manager Mark DeRosa released his starting lineup for Tuesday's World Baseball Classic final against Venezuela (8 p.m. ET).

Kansas City Royals shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. will lead things off and is followed by the Philadelphia Phillies' Bryce Harper and New York Yankees' Aaron Judge. DeRosa is also opting to start the Los Angeles Dodgers' Will Smith at catcher for the second straight game:

United States Starting Lineup

1. Bobby Witt Jr., SS, Kansas City Royals

2. Bryce Harper, 1B, Philadelphia Phillies

3. Aaron Judge, RF, New York Yankees

4. Kyle Schwarber, DH, Philadelphia Phillies

5. Alex Bregman, 3B, Chicago Cubs

6. Roman Anthony, LF, Boston Red Sox

7. Will Smith, C, Los Angeles Dodgers

8. Brice Turang, 2B, Milwaukee Brewers

9. Byron Buxton, CF, Minnesota Twins

Nolan McLean, SP, New York Mets

Venezuela Starting Lineup

1. Ronald Acuña Jr., RF, Atlanta Braves

2. Maikel Garcia, 3B, Kansas City Royals

3. Luis Arraez, 1B, San Francisco Giants

4. Eugenio Suárez, DH, Cincinnati Reds

5. Gleyber Torres, 2B, Detroit Tigers,

6. Ezequiel Tovar, SS, Colorado Rockies

7. Wilyer Abreu, LF, Boston Red Sox

8. Salvador Perez, C, Kansas City Royals

9. Jackson Chourio, CF, Milwaukee Brewers

Eduardo Rodriguez, SP, Arizona Diamondbacks

Perhaps the most notable development wasn't on the U.S. lineup card.

DeRosa confirmed Mason Miller is available to pitch if called upon. San Diego Padres manager Craig Stammen suggested Monday the star reliever might be held out after having pitched in three games over five days.

If all goes according to plan, the United States will be ahead comfortably late in the final and won't require Miller in a high-leverage situation.

DeRosa made a few changes after a closely fought semifinal against the Dominican Republic that saw the United States score two runs on seven hits.

Chicago Cubs star Alex Bregman will occupy the hot corner instead of the Baltimore Orioles' Gunnar Henderson. The Minnesota Twins' Byron Buxton also replaced Chicago's Pete Crow-Armstrong in center.

In a smaller alteration, Smith swapped places in the order with Boston Red Sox promising young star Roman Anthony. They'll bat No. 6 and 7, respectively.

DeRosa is in a somewhat unenviable position when putting his lineup together.

The U.S. was far from dominant in the previous round. The batters combined for 15 strikeouts, and nobody had a multi-hit game.

Between the quarterfinals and semis, the trio of Witt, Harper and Judge were a combined 4-of-23. Harper is batting .167 for the WBC as a whole.

Still, benching a prominent hitter, or even moving him down in the order, would be a bold call with so much on the line. DeRosa might be especially risk-averse given the heat he has received for much of the tournament.

From the start, a gold medal was the expectation for Team USA given the wealth of talent it had across the entire roster. With how the WBC has unfolded, a second straight silver medal is going to feel even more deflating.

DeRosa is clearly counting on his biggest bats to rise to the occasion.