Former Gators Star Could Join USA at World Baseball Classic

It's far from guaranteed, but the former Florida Gators outfielder is among those who could be bound for the World Baseball Classic

The former Gators star could be representing Team USA soon | Dylan Widger-Imagn Images

Team USA is looking to replace an injured star ahead of the World Baseball Classic, and a former Florida Gators outfielder is among those reportedly being considered. According to MLB insider Jon Morosi, Wyatt Langford is an option to take over for All-Star outfielder Corbin Carroll.

There are some other notable outfielders in the mix as well, including Guardians outfielder Steven Kwan, Athletics' Tyler Soderstrom, Tigers Riley Greene and Red Sox's Roman Anthony.

. @WBCBaseball news:

USA Baseball officials are working through possible injury replacements for Corbin Carroll.

Steven Kwan, Tyler Soderstrom, Riley Greene, Roman Anthony, James Wood, Wyatt Langford and Kyle Stowers are under consideration, per source.@MLBNetworkRadio @MLB

— Jon Morosi (@jonmorosi) February 11, 2026

Carroll, a star outfielder on the Arizona Diamondbacks, is forced to sit out due to a broken hamate bone, which is located near the bottom of the hand.

Naturally, when looking at the list of names, Langford immediately seems like a longshot. If any option was up for grabs, no questions asked, he undoubtly would be. However, there is more that goes into the selection than simply getting the absolute best possible options.

Teams have to green light who goes. They may not want to risk injuries or they want to see who vying for roster spots. However, the latter really isn't the case for these options, these are starters at their positions. Injuries are certainly something teams are weary about.

Insurance in case of injury is also a complex barrier to players getting picked. It's already kept some key players out of the WBC. In theory, this could all potentially keep Langford out of the event too, let alone someone who could potentially be on the shortlist ahead of him.

However, if he is up for consideration, meaning there is a good chance he is an option who will get past these hurdles. He's also coming off a solid sophomore season in the majors, helping pave the way to be an option in the first place.

Langford played in 134 games for the Texas Rangers in 2025. He batted .241 while setting career highs in OPS (.775), home runs (22) and stolen bases (22). It was the Gators alum's first career 20-20 season.

He played for the Gators from 2021 to 2023. In 134 games played (this seems to be a big number for him), he batted .363 with a 1.217 OPS, 47 home runs and 120 RBIs. By his junior year, he was a unanimous First Team All-American. That same year, he was part of the Gators team that reached the College World Series, falling a win short of the second national title in program history.