Tuesday was a good day for Kyle Schwarber.
The Philadelphia slugger agreed to a five-year, $150 million contract with the Phillies. He was announced as one of four new players selected to the U.S. World Baseball Classic team.
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Baseball America announced on Tuesday that Schwarber, Orioles shortstop Gunnar Henderson, Brewers second baseman Brice Turang and Dodgers catcher Will Smith will join a WBC roster already packed with MLB stars.
Aaron Judge, Cal Raleigh, Paul Skenes and Bobby Witt Jr. are among the players previously selected for the U.S. team for the international tournament, which begins in March. Judge will serve as captain in his first WBC appearance.
Judge is a three-time MVP. Skenes was the unanimous Cy Young winner. Schwarber and Rowley are both 2025 MVP finalists.
Baseball America announced the new additions via multiple social media posts, including Schwarber’s 10 at-bats against Japan in the 2023 WBC Championship Game, culminating in a solo home run that cut Japan’s lead to 3-2.
But Schwarber’s explosion was not enough to propel the United States to victory. Against the Japanese team that sent Shohei Ohtani as the terminator, the American team did not score again. The Japanese team won 3-2 and won the WBC championship.
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Ohtani, who will play for Japan again in March, just won his fourth MLB MVP award in five seasons. The Japanese will be seeking a fourth title after winning three of the previous five editions of the WBC contest (2006, 2009, 2023).
The Dominican Republic won the title in 2013. Team USA will be looking for a second title after winning it in 2017.
USA Baseball WBC Roster
So far, Team USA’s roster is as follows, with more to come:
Paul Skenes, SP, Pittsburgh Pirates
Matthew Boyd, SP, Chicago Cubs
Carl Rowley, center, Seattle Mariners
Will Smith, center field, Los Angeles Dodgers
Bryce Turang, 2B, Milwaukee Brewers
Bobby Witt Jr., SS, Kansas City Royals
Gunnar Henderson, SS, Baltimore Orioles
Aaron Judge, OF, New York Yankees
Corbin Carroll, OF, Arizona Diamondbacks
Pete Crow-Armstrong, OF, Chicago Cubs
Kyle Schwarber, DH, Philadelphia Phillies
