Although he hasn’t made an appearance yet, the March 13 quarterfinals game against Team Canada will be Clayton Kershaw’s, former Los Angeles Dodgers ace starting pitcher, final day on the Team USA roster
After Team USA’s quarterfinal game against Team Canada tomorrow, Clayton Kershaw, former Los Angeles Dodgers ace staring pitcher, will be removed from the roster, Team USA Manager Mark DeRosa announced today.
Kershaw did not make an appearance during Team USA’s Pool Play. He warmed up in the bullpen during Team USA’s loss to Italy on Tuesday, but never came into the game.
Joe Ryan, Minnesota Twins starting pitcher, is replacing Kershaw on the roster. Ryan was supposed to be on the roster from the start of the tournament, however he suffered a back injury that delayed his preparation for the season and prevented him from joining.
The injury didn’t develop into something major, which is why Ryan is able to join Team USA now. In 2025 for the Twins, Ryan had a 13-10 record with a 3.42 ERA, 1.035 WHIP and 194 strikeouts in 171.0 innings across 30 starts.
Official Team USA changes so far: Skubal, Wacha, Yarbrough off the quarterfinal roster.
Will Vest, Tyler Rogers, Tim Hill added to the quarterfinal roster.
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) March 12, 2026
Since the WBC takes place while players are preparing for the regular season, starting pitchers can only start on certain days and they are also held to a pitch limit. Based on this schedule, Ryan and Nolan McLean, New York Mets starting pitcher, are the two pitchers available for March 17, the day of the championship game if Team USA makes it.
The quarterfinals game between Team USA and Team Canada is scheduled for tomorrow at 5 p.m. at the Daiken Park in Houston. Team USA played Canada in the 2023 WBC, where Team USA won 12-1.