Top MLB Stars Set to Clash in the 2026 World Baseball Classic: Who Will Dominate the Global Stage?

The countdown to the 2026 World Baseball Classic is officially on—less than three months out—and Team USA is gearing up for redemption after falling just short to Shohei Ohtani and his powerhouse Japan squad in 2023. Leading the American contingent is manager Mark DeRosa, who’s assembled a squad featuring some of the biggest names in Major League Baseball. It’s shaping up to be a fascinating mix of seasoned veterans and emerging stars, all eager to leave their mark on this global stage. While the rosters are still being finalized and we can expect some changes as the event draws nearer, I’m committed to keeping this roster rundown as current as possible. Let’s dive into the players ready to represent their countries, starting with Team USA—packed with talent like reigning AL MVP Aaron Judge, record-setting catcher Cal Raleigh, and both Cy Young winners from last season, Tarik Skubal and Paul Skenes. Each team tells a different story, from Australia’s hope with veteran Liam Hendriks to Japan’s unshakable star power led by Ohtani himself. Exciting times ahead as these baseball titans prepare to battle on the world stage—stay tuned and keep your eyes peeled! LEARN MORE

The 2026 World Baseball Classic is set to begin in less than three months, as Team USA is looking to avenge a runner-up finish at the hands of Shohei Ohtani and Japan back in 2023.

Manager Mark DeRosa heads up the American squad, a team that is headlined by several big-name stars. Let’s take a quick look at MLB players participating in the upcoming event, beginning with Team USA. Note: Rosters are not yet finalized, meaning there will surely be additions to this list in the coming weeks. I’ll try to keep this updated over time.

USA

RHP David Bednar (Yankees)
SP Matthew Boyd (Cubs)
3B Alex Bregman (Cubs)
OF Byron Buxton (Twins)
OF Corbin Carroll (D-backs)
RP Garrett Cleavinger (Rays)
INF Ernie Clement (Blue Jays)
OF Pete Crow-Armstrong (Cubs)
SS Gunnar Henderson (Orioles)
RHP Clay Holmes (Mets)
RP Griffin Jax (Rays)
OF Aaron Judge (Yankees)
RHP Brad Keller (Phillies)
LHP Clayton Kershaw (retiring after WBC)
RHP Nolan McLean (Mets)
RHP Mason Miller (Padres)
C Cal Raleigh (Mariners)
RHP Joe Ryan (Twins)
DH Kyle Schwarber (Phillies)
RHP Paul Skenes (Pirates)
LHP Tarik Skubal (Tigers)
C Will Smith (Dodgers)
LHP Gabe Speier (Mariners)
2B Brice Turang (Brewers)
RHP Logan Webb (Giants)
RP Garrett Whitlock (Red Sox)
SS Bobby Witt Jr. (Royals)

Team USA is not short on big names, as the team is headlined by reigning AL MVP (and three-time winner) Aaron Judge and runner-up Cal Raleigh, who broke MLB’s record for homers by a catcher in a season. Both the AL Cy Young (Tarik Skubal) and NL Cy Young (Paul Skenes) are also on the roster.

Players returning from the 2023 WBC roster for the US include designated hitter Kyle Schwarber, catcher Will Smith, and shortstop Bobby Witt Jr.

The Brewers’ lone representative in the 2026 WBC, as it stands, is infielder Brice Turang, who is coming off the best season of his young career. Turang, 26, accumulated 5.6 bWAR in 2025, hitting .288/.359/.435 with 18 homers, 81 RBIs, 97 runs, and 24 steals while finishing as a finalist at second base for both the Gold Glove and Silver Slugger awards.

Australia

2B Travis Bazzana (Guardians)
RHP Liam Hendriks (free agent)

Australia’s roster includes veteran reliever Liam Hendriks, who is currently a free agent after spending an injury-shortened 2025 season with the Red Sox, struggling to a 6.59 ERA and 12 strikeouts over just 13 2/3 innings. Travis Bazzana is arguably a bigger name than Hendriks despite having not yet reached the majors with Cleveland. The 2024 No. 1 overall pick and MLB’s No. 17 prospect split time across three levels in 2025, hitting .245/.389/.424 with nine homers, 39 RBIs, 71 runs, and 12 steals in 84 games.

Bonus: Former Brewer Dave Nilsson, who played for Milwaukee from 1992-1999 and earned an All-Star appearance in his final MLB season, is the manager of Australia.

Colombia

LHP Jose Quintana (free agent)

Dominican Republic

RHP Sandy Alcantara (Marlins)
RHP Brayan Bello (Red Sox)
3B Junior Caminero (Rays)
SS/OF Oneil Cruz (Pirates)
1B Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (Blue Jays)
LHP Cristopher Sánchez (Phillies)
OF Fernando Tatis Jr. (Padres)

Junior Caminero is the headliner on the D.R.’s roster. The 22-year-old third baseman had a breakout 2025 season, accumulating 4.4 bWAR as he hit .264/.311/.535 with 45 homers, 110 RBIs, and 93 runs, garnering an All-Star spot and a ninth-place AL MVP finish.

Israel

OF Harrison Bader (Giants)
RHP Dean Kremer (Orioles)
C Garrett Stubbs (Phillies)

Team Israel is led by Giants outfielder Harrison Bader, who had a great season between the Twins and Phillies in 2025, totaling 3.9 bWAR as he hit .277/.347/.449 with 17 homers, 54 RBIs, 61 runs, and 11 steals to go with strong defense. Dean Kremer of the Orioles and Garrett Stubbs of the Phillies both return from the 2023 team.

Italy

1B Vinnie Pasquantino (Royals)

First baseman Vinnie Pasquantino, or “Pasquatch” as he’s affectionately known, will represent Team Italy for the second consecutive WBC in 2026. He’s had a solid four-year career with K.C., hitting .266/.330/.456 with 70 career homers across 424 games.

Japan

DH/RHP Shohei Ohtani (Dodgers)
LHP Yusei Kikuchi (Angels)
LHP Yuki Matsui (Padres)
INF Munetaka Murakami (White Sox)
INF Kazuma Okamoto (Blue Jays)
RHP Tomoyuki Sugano (free agent)
OF Seiya Suzuki (Cubs)
RHP Yoshinobu Yamamoto (Dodgers)

I don’t think I need to say much more about Shohei Ohtani at this point. Everyone knows he’s the best player on the planet at this point, and no other player (with the possible exception of Aaron Judge) is even close to being in that conversation. Ohtani helped lead Japan to the title in 2023 and will look to do so once again in 2026. Dodger teammate Yoshinobu Yamamoto is also on the roster.

Mexico

OF Randy Arozarena (Mariners)
OF Jarren Duran (Red Sox)
C Alejandro Kirk (Blue Jays)
INF Luis Urías (free agent)
INF Ramón Urías (free agent)

Randy Arozarena and Jarren Duran both return to the Team Mexico roster after participating in the 2023 WBC. Arozarena was a star in that edition, hitting .450/.607/.900 with a homer, six doubles, nine RBIs, eight runs, and six walks in four games. Duran is, notably, a name that has come up often in trade rumors this offseason, as Boston looks to deal from their outfield depth.

Netherlands

OF Ceddanne Rafaela (Red Sox)

Nicaragua

3B Mark Vientos (Mets)

Mets third baseman Mark Vientos is the lone MLB player on Nicaragua’s roster, though he’s coming off a disappointing season after a breakout campaign in 2024.

Bonus: Milwaukee pitching prospect Carlos Rodriguez was on the 2023 Nicaragua WBC roster, pitching four innings of one-run ball (2.25 ERA). We’ll see if he’s on the team once again in 2026.

Panama

C Iván Herrera (Cardinals)

Puerto Rico

3B Nolan Arenado (Cardinals)
UTIL Willi Castro (Rockies)
SS/3B Carlos Correa (Astros)
RP Fernando Cruz (Yankees)
OF Riley Greene (Tigers)
SS Francisco Lindor (Mets)
SP Seth Lugo (Royals)
OF George Springer (Blue Jays)

The Mets train continues, as shortstop Francisco Lindor is included on Puerto Rico’s roster. Lindor had a solid 2023 WBC with the team, hitting .450/.500/.550 with a triple, five RBIs, six runs, and a steal over five games.

Venezuela

OF Wilyer Abreu (Red Sox)
OF Ronald Acuña Jr. (Braves)
OF Jackson Chourio (Brewers)
INF Maikel Garcia (Royals)
C Salvador Perez (Royals)
SS Ezequiel Tovar (Rockies)

The 14-year veteran catcher Salvador Perez will participate in his fourth WBC with Venezuela, this time as the team captain. Across eight career WBC games, he’s hit .346/.393/.808 with two homers and eight RBIs.