Team USA's Bobby Witt Jr. ready for bigger role in 2026 World Baseball Classic
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Kansas City Royals shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. is going to again play for Team USA in the World Baseball Classic, and next year certainly will have a bigger role than last time.
Witt announced Thursday that he is committed to playing for the United States and manager Mark DeRosa in the 2026 WBC. It will be Witt's second time on the team.
When part of Team USA in 2023, Witt was 22 and the youngest player on the roster who was coming off a standout rookie MLB season. He was a bench player who went 1 for 2 at the plate, and also was a pinch-runner in the ninth inning of the championship game won by Shohei Ohtani and Japan.
Yankees slugger Aaron Judge, who will be the U.S. captain, and Pirates ace Paul Skenes have also committed to play for Team USA next spring.
'It's truly an honor,' Witt, who turned 25 two weeks ago, told MLB Network. 'It's something I've kinda dreamed about my whole entire life. Just being part of that team a couple years ago was amazing, and now we're going to bring home the gold.'
Witt was the runner-up to Judge in the American League MVP voting last season, when the shortstop led the majors with a .332 batting average. Witt hit .285 with 10 home runs and 40 RBIs in the Royals' first 80 games this year.
___
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Barry Bonds will be getting a statue outside the Giants' ballpark, team CEO says
San Francisco Giants infielder Rafael Devers, foreground, waits to hit during batting practice after talking with former player Barry Bonds, left, before a baseball game between the Giants and the Cleveland Guardians in San Francisco, Tuesday, June 17, 2025. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu) San Francisco Giants President & Chief Executive Officer Larry Baer, left, and former player Barry Bonds listen as Rafael Devers speaks at a news conference before a baseball game between the Giants and the Cleveland Guardians in San Francisco, Tuesday, June 17, 2025. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu) San Francisco Giants President & Chief Executive Officer Larry Baer, left, and former player Barry Bonds listen as Rafael Devers speaks at a news conference before a baseball game between the Giants and the Cleveland Guardians in San Francisco, Tuesday, June 17, 2025. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu) San Francisco Giants infielder Rafael Devers, foreground, waits to hit during batting practice after talking with former player Barry Bonds, left, before a baseball game between the Giants and the Cleveland Guardians in San Francisco, Tuesday, June 17, 2025. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu) San Francisco Giants President & Chief Executive Officer Larry Baer, left, and former player Barry Bonds listen as Rafael Devers speaks at a news conference before a baseball game between the Giants and the Cleveland Guardians in San Francisco, Tuesday, June 17, 2025. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu) SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Barry Bonds will be getting a statue outside the San Francisco Giants' home stadium where he set baseball's career home run record, the team's CEO said Thursday. Giants President and Chief Executive Officer Larry Baer was asked during a radio interview about a statue for Bonds, and he responded that it was 'on the radar." But Baer didn't have any details of when that would happen. Advertisement 'Barry is certainly deserving of a statue, and I would say should be next up,' Baer said during an appearance on San Francisco's 95.7 The Game. 'We don't have the exact location and the exact date and the exact timing. ... It's coming. All I can say is it's coming.' Bonds played for San Francisco the last 15 of his 22 big league seasons, hitting 586 of his 762 homers while with the Giants from 1993-2007. He set the single-season MLB record with 73 homers in 2001, and hit his record-breaking 756th homer to pass Hank Aaron in a home game off Washington's Mike Bacsik on Aug. 7, 2007. There are currently five statues outside Oracle Park, those of Hall of Famers Willie Mays, Willie McCovey, Juan Marichal, Gaylord Perry and Orlando Cepeda. The Giants retired Bonds' No. 25 jersey in 2018. Bonds, a seven-time MVP and 14-time All-Star, is not in the Hall of Fame. He failed to reach the 75% threshold required during his 10 years on the Baseball Writers Association of America's Hall of Fame ballot, mostly because of steroids allegations that dogged him during his final years with the Giants. The Contemporary Player Committee also passed on electing Bonds in 2022, though the committee could reconsider Bonds' status. ___ AP MLB:
Hamilton Spectator
an hour ago
- Hamilton Spectator
Travis Head leading Australia's survival against West Indies on Day 2
BRIDGETOWN, Barbados (AP) — Travis Head was leading another Australia attempt to be competitive against the West Indies on Thursday in a first test that may not go beyond three days at Kensington Oval. West Indies claimed a 10-run first-innings lead when it was bowled for 190. Australia then rallied from 65-4 to 92-4 by stumps on day two. Australia led by 82 runs with all the pressure seemingly on Head to survive. He counterpunched in the first innings with the only half-century of the test so far but bunkered down in the second innings to defy another brilliant effort by the West Indies quicks. For his stubbornness, Head copped a blow on his left glove from Alzarri Joseph in the day's second-to-last over. Head was 13 not out off 37 balls with support from Beau Webster, 19 not out off 24. After 14 wickets tumbled on day one, 10 were claimed on day two on a pitch still offering seam and movement for the speedsters. West Indies picked up its first innings on 57-4 and debutant Brandon King, 23 overnight, was dropped on 26 by wicketkeeper Alex Carey off Josh Hazlewood. But Hazlewood nailed King on the same score when the batter shouldered arms and was castled. Shai Hope, West Indies' white-ball captain, joined test captain Roston Chase in the middle and they hit back. Hope drove Mitchell Starc for consecutive fours and Chase knocked Nathan Lyon for a six over mid-off. The pair added 63 runs in 19 overs to get West Indies to lunch on 135-5. Two TV umpire decisions Chase was out after lunch in the first of two disputed decisions by TV umpire Adrian Holdstock. Chase was given out lbw to Australia captain Pat Cummins but Chase reviewed, suspecting an inside edge before the ball thumped his back pad in front of middle stump. The ball spike technology, UltraEdge, showed some minor spikes before the ball hit the pads but the TV umpire set them aside and said there was a clear gap between bat and ball. Chase made 44 off 108 balls, including only one boundary and one six, after a 67-run stand with Hope. Webster got Justin Greaves on 4 and Hope on 48, both from edges behind to Carey, and Hope's was debatable. Carey took a great one-handed catch but video showed the ball in his glove touching the ground. However, the TV umpire said it was a fair catch. Hope didn't stick around to debate it. His 91-ball knock left West Indies 162-8, 18 runs short of Australia's first total. Lusty hitting by Shamar Joseph and Alzarri Joseph, an unbeaten 23 runs off 20 balls, swept the hosts to a 10-run lead. Australia started its second bat straight after tea and Sam Konstas was dropped twice in the same second over of the innings by Greaves and John Campbell behind the stumps. The bowler was pacer Shamar Joseph, who has been the victim of five drops in the test, 11 drops in nine tests since his debut in January 2024. Shamar Joseph eventually bowled Konstas on 5, and fellow opener Usman Khawaja was lbw to Alzarri Joseph on 15. No. 3 batter Cameron Green got an lbw overturned on 13, and a non-lbw confirmed on 14. But he was out on 15 after 47 balls to an edge off Greaves. Just before then, Josh Inglis shouldered arms to Seales and was bowled for 12. Australia was 65-4 after another top order failure but Head and Webster dug in and endured the last eight overs. ___ AP cricket:
Hamilton Spectator
an hour ago
- Hamilton Spectator
Judge, Ohtani elected to start in All-Star Game as top vote-getters
NEW YORK (AP) — The Los Angeles Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani and the New York Yankees' Aaron Judge were the first players picked for the July 15 All-Star Game at Atlanta's Truist Park, elected as starters by fans on Thursday. Judge led the major leagues with 4,012,983 votes in the first round of fan balloting and the outfielder was picked for his seventh American League start in eight All-Star Games, though he missed the 2023 game because of a sprained right big toe. He also was the leading vote-getter during the first phase in 2022 and last year. Ohtani topped the NL and was second in the big leagues with 3,967,668 votes, becoming the first designated hitter to start in five straight All-Star Games. The pair were selected under rules that began in 2022 and give starting spots to the top vote-getter in each league in the first phase of online voting, which began June 4 and ended Thursday. Two finalists at every other position advanced to the second phase, which runs from noon EDT on Monday to noon EDT on July 2. Votes from the first phase do not carry over. An individual can vote once per 24-hour period. Remaining starters will be announced on July 2. Pitchers and reserves will be revealed on July 6. AL finalists: Catcher: Alejandro Kirk, Cal Raleigh First base: Paul Goldschmidt, Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Second Base: Jackson Holliday, Gleyber Torres Third Base: Alex Bregman, José Ramírez, Shortstop: Jacob Wilson, Bobby Witt Jr. Designated Hitter: Ryan O'Hearn, Ben Rice Outfield: Javier Báez, Riley Greene, Steven Kwan, Mike Trout NL finalists Catcher: Carson Kelly, Will Smith First Base: Pete Alonso, Freddie Freeman Second Base: Tommy Edman, Ketel Marte Third Base: Manny Machado, Max Muncy Shortstop: Mookie Betts, Francisco Lindor Outfield: Ronald Acuña Jr., Pete Crow-Armstrong, Teoscar Hernández, Andy Pages, Juan Soto, Kyle Tucker ___ AP MLB:
