With the World Baseball Classic less than a year away, USA Baseball continues to load its roster with the best players in the sport.

Thursday morning, Royals shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. announced his commitment to play for Team USA in the 2026 World Baseball Classic.

At just 25 years old, Witt will be playing in his second World Baseball Classic. In 2023, he played a limited role off the bench, going 1-for-2 at the plate and also contributing as a pinch runner. Team USA came away with a silver medal, finishing second to Japan.

Mark DeRosa will again serve as Team USA’s manager and along with Witt’s commitment, DeRosa confirmed he will be the team’s starting shortstop.

The foundation of Team USA’s roster now features three of the best players in the sport at their respective positions. Already named team captain, Yankees slugger Aaron Judge was the first position player to commit and Pirates ace Paul Skenes joined shortly after.

For Witt, his experience playing for Team USA extends beyond the 2023 WBC. In 2018 he played on USA Baseball’s U-18 team at the Pan-American Championships where he earned MVP honors by batting .576 including hitting for the cycle in the gold medal game against Panama.

Not to mention his family’s connection to Team USA, as his father Bobby Witt Sr., won a silver medal at the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles.

Witt is currently in the hunt to start at shortstop for the American League in the upcoming MLB All-Star game and is hitting .282 with 10 home runs and 40 RBIs.