Boston Red Sox outfielder Roman Anthony will play for Team USA in the World Baseball Classic, according to a post on the USA Baseball X account on Feb. 16.
Welcome to Team USA, Roman Anthony! #ForGlory?? pic.twitter.com/gBfflrodaZ
— USA Baseball (@USABaseball) February 16, 2026
“Watching the WBC growing up, watching all my favorite players representing the greatest country in the world, it’s something you dream of as a kid,” Anthony said via Tim Healey of the Boston Globe on Feb. 16.
Roman Anthony, Team USA left fielder: “Watching the WBC growing up, watching all my favorite players representing the greatest country in the world, it’s something you dream of as a kid.” https://t.co/xoy8k4Chs8
— Tim Healey (@timbhealey) February 16, 2026
In 2023, Anthony was in the stands for the epic final showdown between Team USA and Japan at loanDepot Park in Miami.
Anthony, 21, also has Italian heritage through his parents, but he didn’t have any interest in playing for Italy in this edition of the WBC.
Anthony was the top-ranked prospect last season before the Red Sox called him up to make his Major League Baseball debut on June 9, 2025, against the Tampa Bay Rays. In 2025, Anthony forced his way up to the Red Sox with a dominant 58-game stretch in Triple-A Worcester. He had 10 home runs, 29 RBIs, and a slash line of .288/.423/.491 in 212 at-bats. He also walked 51 times and struck out 56, which is nearly a one-to-one ratio.
Major League pitching didn’t slow down the left-handed hitting Anthony, and he finished third in the American League Rookie of the Year voting, despite only playing in 71 games.
Your 2025 @officialBBWAA AL Jackie Robinson Rookie of the Year Award finalists:
Roman Anthony
Nick Kurtz
Jacob Wilson pic.twitter.com/d2vRq3LOLf— MLB (@MLB) November 4, 2025
Anthony was very good at the plate in his rookie season, hitting eight home runs, earning 32 RBIs, and producing a slash line of .292/.396/.463 in 257 at-bats. He was drafted by the Red Sox in the second round of the 2022 MLB Draft out of Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida.
Anthony signed an eight-year, $130 million extension with the Red Sox on Aug. 6, 2025. The contract has escalators that can bring the value up to $230 million, and a club option that could keep him in Boston through the 2025 season.
Anthony wasn’t always a can’t-miss prospect and started the 2023 season ranked 20th in the Red Sox farm system. In 2024, he started to catch people’s attention, and he jumped up to second in the Red Sox organization and 24th on MLB Pipeline’s Top 100 Rankings.
Anthony has had a quick rise from his rookie-year to now being a possible starter for Team USA in the WBC.
He will join a crowded outfield for Team USA with Aaron Judge, Pete Crow-Armstrong, and Byron Buxton. Kyle Schwarber will most likely serve as the designated hitter.
Team USA will play in Pool B of the WBC with Italy, Mexico, Great Britain, and Brazil in Houston at Daikin Park from March 6, 2026, through March 11, 2026.
Photo: Boston Red Sox outfielder Roman Anthony, left, smiles as he walks with third base coach Kyle Hudson before making his first major league start in a baseball game against the Tampa Bay Rays at Fenway Park, Monday, June 9, 2025, in Boston.
