Second Cubs Player To Join Team USA For 2026 World Baseball Classic

The Team USA roster for the 2026 World Baseball Classic is continuing to take shape, and three weeks after USA Baseball announced that Chicago Cubs center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong would be joining the squad, another Cub revealed Wednesday that he will represent his country as well.

Left-hander Matthew Boyd, coming off a strong first season in Chicago, revealed on the Foul Territory podcast that he will pitch for Team USA in the WBC next March. Boyd was 14-8 with a 3.21 ERA in 179 2/3 innings pitched in 2025, the first year of a two-year contract he signed in December of 2024.

Boyd comments on joining USA Baseball roster

"Any chance to get to represent our country is something that's really special," Boyd said. "I'm grateful for this game that's given me so many opportunities. I get to play a game for a living. In 2009 on the 18U team, I was the last cut. In college, I was a replacement player. I was the guy holding a spot for the guys who were in the College World Series, and I got sent home and went back to playing college summer baseball."

BREAKING: Matthew Boyd announces he'll play for Team USA in the 2026 World Baseball Classic! pic.twitter.com/ei4NDEosw2
— Foul Territory (@FoulTerritoryTV) December 3, 2025

Boyd said he got a call a few weeks ago from Team USA manager Mark DeRosa — himself a former Cub — and knew he wanted to be part of the event. Although he will turn 35 in early February and has struggled to stay healthy, he still seems to have plenty left in the tank, pitching his most innings last year since 2019 and the second-most of his career.

A Pacific Northwest kid, Boyd grew up outside of Seattle and pitched at Oregon State University, then was selected in the sixth round of the 2013 MLB Draft by the Toronto Blue Jays. He made his big-league debut with Toronto in 2015 but was traded to the Detroit Tigers later that year in the deal that brought David Price to Canada.

Matthew Boyd — Jovanny Hernandez / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

By 2017, Boyd was a regular in the Tigers' rotation, and he also pitched for his hometown Seattle Mariners and the Cleveland Guardians before the Cubs signed him last offseason. He got off to a spectacular start in Chicago, holding a 2.20 ERA as of late July before fading somewhat down the stretch and delivering inconsistent results in the postseason.

The 2026 WBC will begin on March 5, and Team USA, in Pool B, plays its first game the following day against Brazil at Daikin Park in Houston. The top two teams in each pool advance to the knockout stage, with the quarterfinals to be played in Houston and Miami on March 13 and 14. The semifinals and championship will be held at loanDepot Park, home of the Miami Marlins.

In addition to Brazil, Team USA's poll also includes Mexico, Italy and Great Britain. Depending on when Boyd and Crow-Armstrong leave Spring Training to join the national team, they could get a sneak peek at Team Italy, which will face the Cubs in an exhibition game on March 3.

THIS is Matt Boyd. pic.twitter.com/AJJBN2bSEQ
— Chicago Cubs (@Cubs) October 10, 2025

The World Baseball Classic is the largest international baseball tournament in the world, with the first edition played in 2006. Japan has won the event three times, including the most recent tournament in 2023, while the Dominican Republic and USA have each won once.

The 2023 WBC featured the most memorable ending yet, with Japan's Shohei Ohtani striking out Team USA's Mike Trout to seal a 3-2 victory for the Japanese team.

The Latest Chicago Cubs News

Cubs' Top Kyle Schwarber Competition Is NL Central Rival

Cubs’ Starting Pitcher Hunt Now Centered On 3 Free-Agent Targets

Cubs Risk Losing Out As Another Starting Pitcher Exits Free Agency

Cubs Losing Star Free Agent Reliever To Braves Would Be Massive Blow