Joe Ryan named to Team USA roster for 2026 World Baseball Classic

It will be Ryan's second time representing the United States at the international level, previously pitching for Team USA at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

Aug 19, 2025; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Twins starting pitcher Joe Ryan (41) delivers a pitch against the Athletics in the first inning at Target Field. Mandatory Credit: Jesse Johnson-Imagn Images | Jesse Johnson-Imagn Images

Twins star righty Joe Ryan will pitch for Team USA at next year's World Baseball Classic. It will be the second time in his career that he's represented the United States at the international level. Ryan earned a silver medal with Team USA at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, going 1-0 with a 1.74 ERA and recording eight strikeouts, giving up just two earned runs and a walk in 10 1/3 innings of work over two starts.

Ryan, 29, is coming off an All-Star season for the Twins in 2025. He recorded a career-best 3.42 ERA with a 13-10 record for Minnesota. He registered 194 strikeouts and allowed 39 walks over 171 innings in 2025.

Olympics ✅
WBC 🔜

Olympian Joe Ryan will pitch #ForGlory🇺🇸 at the World Baseball Classic! pic.twitter.com/xZ0kzcKdQG

— USA Baseball (@USABaseball) December 17, 2025

Ryan could be joined on the Team USA roster by Twins center fielder Byron Buxton. Though it hasn't been officially announced, it was reported at the Winter Meetings that Buxton would take part in the tournament.

The World Baseball Classic takes place this spring, March 5-17, with 20 international squads taking part. Team USA made it to the finals in the last edition of the tournament, losing in an instant classic to Japan, with Shohei Ohtani striking out Mike Trout to clinch the title.

Ryan has been the focus of significant trade interest this offseason, with numerous contenders attempting to pry the valuable righty away from the organization. At the Winter Meetings, Twins president Derek Falvey indicated he wasn't interested in selling off anymore parts of the team, instead saying he was focused on adding to the roster.

With those intentions publicized, it would appear Ryan will pair with Pablo Lopez at the top of the Twins' starting rotation heading into the 2026 season.

With his inclusion on the Team USA roster, Ryan will now likely miss all of spring training. Minnesota will have just four games remaining in spring training following the conclusion of the WBC on March 20, with the regular season starting on March 26 in Baltimore.

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