Team USA Facing Potential Roster Decision With Clayton Kershaw

Clayton Kershaw interrupted his retirement in order to join Team USA for the World Baseball Classic, which he previously attempted to do in 2023.

Whereas insurance coverage issues required Kershaw to withdraw from the WBC three years ago, he didn't face any such trouble for the 2026 tournament due to no longer being under contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers.

While the left-hander has shared how much this opportunity means to him, Kershaw is not going to remain on the Team USA if they advance past their quarterfinal game against Canada on Friday night.

"Joe Ryan will take his place," Team USA manager Mark DeRosa revealed. Ryan would join Detroit Tigers' Will Vest and New York Yankees teammates Tyler Rogers and Tim Hill as pitchers added to the Team USA roster since they advanced out of pool play.

One key difference, however, is Hill, Rogers and Vest are going to be active and available out of the bullpen for the quarterfinal matchup.

With that plan in place, it's possible Kershaw's WBC career will come to a close without appearing in a game for the United States.

"I would love to get Clayton a little run, but it's win or go home," answered DeRosa when asked if he would make a concerted effort to have Kershaw pitch against Team Canada.

"We'll see. I've got 10 relievers in there that are rearing to go. So I think that would be a long shot, but we'll see."

As it stands, Kershaw's lone appearance was in a WBC exhibition game against the Colorado Rockies. He surrendered a leadoff home run and only recorded two outs in the game at Salt River Fields.

Clayton Kershaw's impact on Team USA

Although the longtime Dodgers ace might not pitch in a World Baseball Classic game, Kershaw's presence hasn't been lost on his teammates.

"Man, he's just the best, like, guy, you could possibly be around," Logan Webb said of Kershaw. "Pretty humble for being one of the best, probably the best left-handed pitcher of all time. So I think it's more just hanging out with him.

"I'm not going to learn a lot from. I probably can't throw his curveball or his slider that he throws. It's kind of the same thing, right? You see how he prepares himself. I know he didn't get in the game but he was excited. He came in, he was like, 'I was throwing BBs out there, I was throwing hard.'

"So it's awesome. It's been unbelievable to be around him."