Swingman Yarbrough joins USA's Classic roster in place of Ryan
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Yankees left-hander Ryan Yarbrough is the newest member of Team USA for the World Baseball Classic, USA Baseball announced Sunday.
The veteran swingman takes Joe Ryan’s spot on the active roster for pool play after the Twins ace was diagnosed with lower back inflammation last week.
Ryan, who still hopes to compete in the Classic, has been moved to the designated pitcher pool and can be added back onto the active roster if Team USA advances out of pool play.
The 34-year-old Yarbrough recorded a 4.36 ERA over 19 appearances (eight starts) in his first season with the Yankees last year. For his eight-year career, the southpaw owns a 4.22 ERA through 215 appearances (76 starts). He signed a one-year deal in November to return to the Yanks for the 2026 campaign.
Team USA will begin its WBC tournament run at 8 p.m. ET on Friday, when it faces Brazil inside Houston’s Daikin Park. Those two teams are in Pool B along with Great Britain, Italy and Mexico.