New York Yankees slugger Aaron Judge was recently named captain of Team USA for the 2026 World Baseball Classic. He's currently the only player on the roster, however, it sounds like former captain Mike Trout is planning on joining the team once again.

The Los Angeles Angels outfielder claims he had a “great conversation” with Judge about the Yankees star becoming the new captain. Trout also added that he admittingly wants to play for Team USA alongside Judge, according to Angels beat reporter Rhett Bollinger.

“Mike Trout said he had a great conversation with Aaron Judge when he reached out about being named captain of Team USA in next year's World Baseball Classic. Trout added, ‘I expect to and want to play, for sure.'”

Although Mike Trout is not the captain anymore, he did express how happy he is for Judge to fill that role. The last time Trout played for Team USA in the World Baseball Classic was in 2023 when the US lost to Japan 3-2 in the championship. The 33-year-old superstar served as the team's captain in what was a thrilling tournament that year.

Article Continues Below

Trout, Judge, and Team USA will take the field in March 2026 to participate in the next WBC. The tournament will be played in four cities across the globe, including San Juan, Houston, Tokyo, and Miami.

Until then, Mike Trout is focusing on helping the Angels compete in MLB. Heading into Tuesday's contest against the Texas Rangers, the three-time MVP winner is recording a .196 batting average and .299 OBP while hitting six home runs and 14 RBIs through 56 at-bats. The home runs and RBIs are there for the veteran outfielder but Los Angeles would like to see his batting average improve as the year progresses.

As for Judge, he's off to a hot start this season for the Yankees. He owns an impressive .367 batting average and .479 OBP while recording six home runs and 20 RBIs off of 60 at-bats. The 32-year-old outfielder hopes to lead New York to another World Series appearance this year after losing the championship to the Los Angeles Dodgers 4-1 in the series.