Overview
- USA Baseball announced Monday that Twins outfielder Byron Buxton will make his World Baseball Classic debut with Team USA this spring.
- Buxton joins an outfield group featuring captain Aaron Judge, Corbin Carroll and Pete Crow-Armstrong.
- He is coming off a 2025 All-Star season with a .264/.327/.551 line, 35 home runs and a perfect 24-for-24 on stolen bases across 126 games.
- His role is not set, with Sporting News noting his 1.050 OPS versus left-handers compared with Crow-Armstrong’s .594, pointing to potential matchup-based usage.
- Fellow Twin Joe Ryan was announced in December as one of Team USA’s starting pitchers, while Minnesota will monitor Buxton’s health given his injury history.