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Bryce Harper will play for Team USA at WBC
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- Bryce Harper will play for Team USA at WBC
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The future of Bryce Harper hangs in the balance amid rumors of the Philadelphia Phillies trading him. But one thing is now sure: he will be representing his country on the world stage.
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On Tuesday, it was confirmed that Harper will be playing for Team USA in the World Baseball Classic in March, per Bob Nightengale of USA Today. The tournament is scheduled from March 5 to 17. Already, Aaron Judge , Paul Skenes , Bobby Witt Jr. , Corbin Carroll , Cal Raleigh , and Kyle Schwarber have confirmed that they will play. Judge is designated as the team captain.
Japan enters the tournament as the defending WBC champions from 2023. They defeated Team USA in the title game 3-2.
Meanwhile, the Phillies are coming off a season in which they went 96-66 and won the NL East . Ultimately, they lost to the eventual NLDS champion, the Los Angeles Dodgers .
Overall, Harper finished the season batting .261 with 27 home runs and 75 RBIs. In May, he achieved his 1,000 career RBI . During the postseason, he batted only .200 with three hits.
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Recently, Harper admitted that he underwent a blood procedure known as EBOO therapy to prepare for the 2026 season.
This will be Bryce Harper 's first World Baseball Classic.
In 2023, Harper was slated to play for Team USA in the WBC. However, at the time, he was recovering from Tommy John surgery on his elbow.
He had to undergo the operation after the Phillies reached the 2022 World Series. During the series, Harper batted .200 with four hits, a home run, two RBIs, and a run scored.
Ultimately, the Phillies lost to the Houston Astros in six games. Given the makeup of the roster, Team USA is without question a favorite in the WBC.
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Indeed, Japan is the heavy favorite, and the Dominican Republic is close behind. Other teams, including Puerto Rico, Venezuela, and South Korea, are expected to make a deep run.
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