Outfielders Corbin Carroll of the Arizona Diamondbacks and Pete Crow-Armstrong of the Chicago Cubs were announced as new additions to Team USA's roster for the 2026 World Baseball Classic during the MLB Awards Show in Las Vegas. The pair joins Aaron Judge, Cal Raleigh and Paul Skenes under manager Mark DeRosa. Both players expressed excitement about representing their country.
The announcement came on Thursday, November 14, 2025, hours after Carroll and Crow-Armstrong earned top-10 finishes in the National League Most Valuable Player voting. Manager Mark DeRosa welcomed them on stage at the awards show, handing out Team USA jerseys. 'We need some energy, some youth infused,' DeRosa said. 'We're going to have the big captain, the AL MVP, standing in right field. But I think we need some young guns to go get it, to hit some homers.'
Crow-Armstrong, who approached DeRosa during the Home Run Derby, recalled his response: 'Whenever you call, you know my answer is yes.' He added, 'I love playing for my country more than anything. Getting to play for you, getting to play with Cal, Corbs, Mr. Judge; it's going to be great.' When asked about sporting stars and stripes in his hair, he replied, 'If that's what this requires, then yeah.'
Carroll, who was watching football when DeRosa called, said, 'It was not a hard decision. I couldn't be more excited. It's going to be awesome.' The commitment will slightly impact his offseason routine, but he showed no hesitation.
Team USA general manager Mike Hill emphasized the early commitments: 'We were pretty fortunate. We wanted to set the tone early and get some of the best players in baseball committed to Team USA.'
Carroll, 25, had a standout 2025 season with a 5.8 WAR, hitting .259/.343/.541 (140 OPS+), including 32 doubles, 17 triples, 31 home runs, 84 RBI, 107 runs and 32 stolen bases. He has a top-five MVP finish. Crow-Armstrong, 23, posted 6.0 WAR, .247/.287/.481 (118 OPS+), 37 doubles, four triples, 31 home runs, 95 RBI, 91 runs, 35 stolen bases, becoming the first Cubs 30-30 player since Sammy Sosa. He tied Bobby Witt Jr. for the top outs above average last season.
The existing roster features Aaron Judge, the 2025 AL MVP; Cal Raleigh, who hit 60 home runs; and Paul Skenes, the 2025 NL Cy Young winner. Shortly after the announcement, Carroll and Crow-Armstrong were named to the 2025 All-MLB second team, while Judge, Raleigh and Skenes made the first team. Raleigh, who committed in July, said, 'When I got the call, it was an immediate yes... Getting to represent your country and getting to play on the biggest stage in baseball, it will be a lot of fun.'