Royals starting pitcher at World Baseball Classic is ready to face some teammates
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Michael Wacha earned Team USA roster spot and will join WBC training in Houston.
- Royals cleared players; vets will limit outings to a few innings.
- Wacha could face Royals teammates if USA meets Italy on March 10.
In a few weeks, Kansas City Royals starter Michael Wacha will pack his bags and head to Houston to join Team USA in the World Baseball Classic.
It’s an honor he couldn’t have predicted.
“I got the call a couple of weeks ago or so, maybe not even that long ago,” Wacha said. “I was very excited to even get an offer to go play for them. And, you know, just fired up. I’m excited to be able to be in that clubhouse with that group of guys and play for this country. Hopefully, go get some gold.”
Wacha will join Royals teammate Bobby Witt Jr. in representing the United States. Meanwhile, the Royals have several players set to oppose them in the WBC.
Vinnie Pasquantino and Jac Caglianone will represent Italy. Seth Lugo will play for Puerto Rico. Maikel Garcia and Salvador Perez will play for Venezuela.
The WBC participants are scheduled to leave big-league camp at the end of the month. For Wacha, he is excited to pitch against high-caliber competition on the global stage.
“You know, talking to (Team USA head coach Mark) DeRosa and (Team USA pitching coach Andy) Pettitte, I got what they were expecting out of me. I was able to take that to (Royals pitching coach Brian) Sweeney and kind of see where that lined up with me. And it ended up being kind of right where I’m going to be here in camp to get ready for our regular season.”
Wacha isn’t too worried about the ramp-up process. He admitted the WBC games have more intensity, but it shouldn’t affect his preparation for the 2026 campaign.
“I tend to try to get ramped up in those spring training games as well,” Wacha said.
The Royals gave clearance for their players to join the global event. The club trusts its veterans to balance the workload while appearing for their home country.
“The veteran guys understand what that means,” Royals manager Matt Quatraro said. “Nobody is going out there to throw seven innings and that’s the other comfort in it. Just a couple innings and in some cases it’s probably good for guys.”
Wacha will have a chance to face his Royals teammates. The United States will play in Pool B alongside Brazil, Great Britain, Italy and Mexico. The schedule lines up for Team USA to play Team Italy on March 10.
Should Wacha face off against Pasquantino and Caglianone, he is ready for the matchup on the biggest stage.
“If I’m not pitching against them, I’ll be able to share some stuff with some of those pitchers to help with some scouting reports,” Wacha said.
The WBC begins on March 4. Japan is the defending WBC champs after defeating the United States in 2023.