Yankees' Aaron Judge all-in for future international competition, hopes it will be at midseason
The Yankees' Aaron Judge celebrates after hitting a two-run home run for Team USA against Brazil during the 2026 World Baseball Classic on March 6, 2026 in Houston, TX. Credit: Getty Images/Kenneth Richmond
TAMPA, Fla. — Now that Aaron Judge has gotten a taste of international competition with the World Baseball Classic, he wants to do it again.
And again, if possible.
“Any chance I get,” Judge said on Friday night when asked if he’d like to participate in the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics or the next WBC, which might take place in 2029 or ’30.
“Olympics, WBC? Yeah,” he added.
MLB and the players' union are negotiating about whether big-league players will be allowed to play in the Olympics. Considering the game appears headed for a lockout before the 2027 season, it seems unlikely that a deal will be struck soon that would shorten the 2028 MLB season to accommodate the six-team Olympics tournament, which would take place in July.
But the WBC and international tournaments are commissioner Rob Manfred’s baby, and considering how well this year’s tournament did in terms of interest and record television ratings, everything appears to be on the negotiating table.
"Obviously, we have commitments to Fox in terms of the All-Star Game in the middle of the season through '28," Manfred told The Associated Press the day after Venezuela’s 3-2 victory over the United States in the WBC final. "As the game continues to evolve, we have talked about midseason tournaments in general. And certainly, if we decided to get serious about this, about a midseason tournament, this would be an ideal opportunity . . . I remain optimistic about [having big-leaguers in] the Olympics.”
As for the next WBC, put Judge down as a yes vote on moving it to July.
“My thoughts are, [if] we're able to knock it out during the season, I think that'd be great,” said Judge, who was back in the Yankees’ lineup as the designated hitter against the Orioles on Friday night. “There's so many restrictions [in the WBC]. Even with us, there are certain guys that couldn't pitch because of this, had to pitch on these days. I think now, if you get into it where everyone's built up, there's no restriction needed out there and just play, I think it'll just be better for the game.”
Another hot topic surrounding the WBC was Judge’s comment that the atmosphere in the ballparks was “bigger and better” than the World Series he played in in 2024, when the Yankees lost to the Dodgers in five games.
“It's different when you’ve got a band in rightfield, a band in leftfield,” he said. “You’ve got different chants. You don't usually see that. World Series games, a lot of the passionate fans, they can't afford those tickets sometimes. So getting a chance to go to the [WBC] games like that and represent your country — I think that's the big thing — is you represent your country, where you grew up, where you were born. So I think it's just a different level of passion.”
And about the idea that the U.S. players didn’t show enough passion, especially compared to some of the other teams?
“I love everything . . . what Mexico is doing, what Great Britain was doing, what the [Dominican Republic], how they celebrate the game, that was amazing,” he said. “They're gonna say we don't have the passion. My passion is grinding in this [batting] cage when nobody's watching. Grinding as a 6-year-old in the backyard with my dad. That's where our passion came from as kids. If I don't show it outwardly like that, it doesn't mean I don't love the game.
“But I don't know. I can't really talk about somebody else's opinion about it. Everybody in that clubhouse, if you ask every single one of those guys, that's probably the most fun they've ever had playing the game, the past two or three weeks. Myself included. So I don't know. We had a lot of fun. We had some passion. You saw emotion from guys . . . I try to block [the talk] out as best I can. People, family and friends, would bring it up to me, but what am I gonna do? I can't change their opinion. That’s what they think.”
Dominguez to minors
The Yankees sent Jasson Dominguez to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, a move that had been expected. With Cody Bellinger, Trent Grisham and Judge in the outfield for the Yankees, there was no way for Dominguez to get the everyday at-bats he needs.
Anthony Rieber covers sports media and business and professional sports (you know, games and trades and things). He has worked at Newsday since Aug. 31, 1998, and has been in his current position since Jan. 1, 2026.
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