Clayton Kershaw is returning to the mound after all.
Months removed from announcing his retirement from Major League Baseball, Kershaw will represent the United States in the upcoming World Baseball Classic. Team USA on Thursday announced the news on Kershaw, who will be pitching in the event for the first time.
Kershaw, 37, capped his MLB career in style, helping the Los Angeles Dodgers successfully defend their World Series title with a victory over the Toronto Blue Jays. The World Series title was the third for the left-handed Kershaw, who also has three National League Cy Young Awards and a 2014 NL Most Valuable Player award on his resume.
Kershaw is 223-96 with a 2.53 ERA in 455 career games (451 starts) with the Dodgers.
He will join fellow pitchers Paul Skenes, Tarik Skubal, Logan Webb, Joe Ryan and Clay Holmes among others on the Team USA roster.
Third baseman Alex Bregman announced on the same day he was introduced as a Chicago Cub on a five-year, $175 million deal that he'll also be competing for Team USA in this year's World Baseball Classic.
Bregman was the youngest member of the American roster in the 2017 WBC at 23 years old, going 2-for-4 with a walk off the bench on the team which won the championship.
He did not compete on the 2023 squad which lost the championship game to Shohei Ohtani and Japan.
Bregman, 31, is a three-time All-Star, two-time World Series champion and has won one Gold Glove and one Silver Slugger award. He has a .272 career average with 209 career home runs and 293 doubles.
He joins what is quickly becoming a position-player roster loaded with some of the best current major league players. Cal Raleigh and Will Smith are committed behind the plate, Bryce Harper is locked in at first base, Bobby Witt Jr. and Gunnar Henderson are at shortstop and Byron Buxton, Corbin Carroll and Aaron Judge are in the outfield, among other confirmed roster members.
Team USA's first game of the 2026 competition is against Brazil in Pool B action on March 6 in Houston. The final rosters will be announced in early February.
--Field Level Media
