USA Baseball and Major League Baseball announced Monday that Aaron Judge will represent the United States at the 2026 World Baseball Classic and serve as the team's captain.

Before Team USA manager Mark DeRosa named Aaron Judge captain of his squad for the 2026 World Baseball Classic, he ask Angels veteran Mike Trout for permission to give the Yankees slugger that title. “He’s the one,” Trout told DeRosa.

Aaron Judge was recently named a captain for the 2026 World Baseball Classic as he currently leads the New York Yankees to a potential playoff appearance in MLB. However, there are some concerns about how he’d approach the preseason next March.