Team USA has added three relievers to its roster in advance of Friday’s quarterfinal matchup against Canada at Daikin Park in Houston.
Detroit Tigers lefty and two-time defending Cy Young Award winner Tarik Skubal, Kansas City Royals righty Michael Wacha, and New York Yankees lefty Ryan Yarbrough all returned to their teams following pool play, creating space on the roster to add Tigers righty Will Vest, Toronto Blue Jays righty Tyler Rogers, and Yankees lefty Tim Hill.
Skubal pitched three innings as the starter in the USA’s opening win against Great Britain and then considered sticking with the team to potentially start in the elimination games before deciding to return to Tigers camp in Lakeland, Florida.
Rogers had expressed his interest in joining Team USA in a post on X on Jan. 15. He had a 0.944 WHIP and a 1.98 ERA in 77 1/3 innings across 81 relief appearances for the New York Mets and San Francisco Giants in 2025.
HIS TWEET WORKED!!!
Tyler Rogers has been added to Team USA’s roster for the WBC quarterfinals ?? https://t.co/YtTz1ywkMy pic.twitter.com/logY70pl2t— Shawn Spradling (@Shawn_Spradling) March 12, 2026
The three relievers give Team USA manager Mark DeRosa more options out of the bullpen in a tournament where starters are limited in the number of pitches they can throw. Logan Webb of the San Francisco Giants has been announced as the starter for Team USA in the quarterfinal, where he will be allowed to throw a maximum of 80 pitches. On average, an MLB pitcher throws between 16 and 17 pitches per inning of work, so Webb could reasonably be expected to go approximately five innings in the quarterfinal, with the bullpen covering the remaining four.
Vest held opposing batters to a .625 OPS in 68 2/3 innings with Detroit last year, while Hill threw 67 innings out of the Yankees’ pen last year with a 3.09 ERA.
Photo: Tyler Rogers, shown here with the New York Mets, is one of three relievers added to Team USA’s roster in advance of the WBC quarterfinal game against Canada in Houston. (AP Photo)
