Just when you thought Team USA's roster for the 2026 World Baseball Classic could not improve any further, a new addition to the team was announced Monday.
Minnesota Twins outfielder Byron Buxton will play with the United States in March, joining an outfield core that already includes Corbin Carroll from the Arizona Diamondbacks, Pete Crow-Armstrong from the Chicago Cubs, and the team's captain, Aaron Judge from the New York Yankees.
USA Baseball announced Buxton's play to make his debut in the 20-team international tournament. He played 126 games with the Twins this past season, hitting a career high 35 home runs and going a perfect 24-for-24 on stolen base attempts.
How Buxton improves Team USA's roster
With so much star power already in the dugout, there's no guarantee Buxton will be a starter on Team USA. His natural position is center field, but so is Crow-Armstrong's, who won his first career Gold Glove in November.
Regardless, Buxton is a much better (1.050 OPS) hitter against left-handers than Crow-Armstrong (.594 OPS), so he will be valuable in pinch-hit scenarios.
The Twins hope Buxton makes it through the tournament without injury, an obstacle to his career thus far. He's played in over 100 games in a season just three times since debuting in 2015.
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