Team USA adds Twins ace Joe Ryan for 2026 World Baseball Classic
Twins ace Joe Ryan will pitch for Team USA during the 2026 World Baseball Classic, the team announced. Ryan will likely be USA's No. 3 starter behind back-to-back Cy Young Award winners Paul Skenes and Tarik Skubal. New York Mets righties Clay Holmes and Noah McClean will also be part of the rotation.
While Ryan is the first Twin to be named to Team USA's roster officially, center fielder Byron Buxton is on the preliminary roster and will more than likely play for the team during the tournament.
Other notable players on Team USA's roster include Kansas City Royals shortstop Bobby Witt Jr., Los Angeles Dodgers catcher Will Smith, Philadelphia Phillies designated hitter Kyle Schwarber, New York Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge, Arizona Diamondbacks outfielder Corbin Carroll, Chicago Cubs outfielder Pete Crow-Armstrong and more.
Mark DeRosa will manage the team while Andy Pettitte will serve as pitching coach, Matt Holliday as hitting coach, George Lombard as first base coach, Dino Ebel as third base coach, David Ross as bullpen coach, and Fredi González, Brian McCann and Michael Young as assistant managers.
This won't be the first time Ryan represents his home country, as he competed for Team USA at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics (held in 2021).
Although he regressed after last season's All-Star break, Ryan's Team USA nod is well deserved. He earned his first All-Star team nod this past season, and posted 4.5 bWAR and a 3.42 ERA with 194 strikeouts and 39 walks across 171 innings. He also ranked fourth in the league in strikeout-minus-walk rate (22.5%) behind Skenes, Garret Crochet and Tarik Skubal.
Since making his MLB debut with the Twins in 2021, Ryan has posted 11 bWAR and a 3.79 ERA with 719 strikeouts and 148 walks over 641 1/3 innings. Many reporters and media members suspected Minnesota would trade Ryan this offseason, but it appears he will be a Twin while representing Team USA in 2026.
Team USA will begin its World Baseball Classic run in Pool B play with a matchup against Brazil at Daikin Park in Houston at 7 p.m. CT on March 6. Pool B also includes Mexico, Great Britain and Italy.