Vladimir Guerrero of the Toronto Blue Jays will miss the World Baseball Classic due to an injury to his right knee and will be a sensitive casualty for the Dominican Republic as a whole.
The injury was suffered during a game in Spring Training this Fridayreported this Saturday the general manager of the Dominican Republic team and also a player, Nelson Cruz.
“Unfortunately this came up yesterday with Vladi on his right knee and he won’t be able to be with us. No one is more sorry than him for not going out on the field for his country in the Classic,” said the manager through a brief statement from the Dominican Baseball Federation (Fedom).
Vladimir Guerrero Jr. was one of the main offensive pieces that the Dominican team had to conquer the title of the event, which will start on Asian soil on March 8, although the Dominican Republic’s first game will be on the 11th of this month against Venezuela at the Loan Depot Park of the Miami Marlins, Florida (USA).
The Dominican Republic is one of the favorite teams to win the title thanks to the powerful lineup that the team has made up of players like Julio Rodríguez (Rookie of the Year), Teoscar Hernández, Rafael Devers, Starling Marte, among others.
Now, the Dominican Republic must raise a player from its list of candidates for replacement due to injury. The statement stated that, given what happened to the player, the team has embarked on the search for his replacement.
“These things happen, they are part of the game. We hope he recovers, God willing, and has a great year with his Toronto (Blue Jays) team.” Cruz added.
The Dominican Republic is part of Group D, along with Puerto Rico, Venezuela, Israel and Nicaragua.
Prior to their debut against Venezuela, the Dominicans will play two preparation matches, the first on March 8. against the Atlanta Braves and the next day with the Minnesota Twins.
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