Hanley Ramirez Withdraws From World Baseball Classic
BOSTON (CBS) -- There will be no World Baseball Classic for Hanley Ramirez.
The Red Sox slugger has withdrawn from the tournament, Boston manager John Farrell told reporters on Thursday. Ramirez has been limited to DH this spring while he deals with shoulder soreness, and will remain with the Red Sox to rehab the ailment.
The team has had concerns about Ramirez's shoulder since it was revealed that he was experiencing soreness while throwing. The Red Sox hope that slowly progressing his throwing program will improve the situation leading up to the start of the regular season.
"He still needs rehab with his shoulder. The throwing program will continue to progress as tolerated, so as of now, Hanley will not be joining Team Dominican," Farrell said Thursday.
Farell said Ramirez, who played with the Dominican Republic team in the 2013 WBC, is "on board" with the decision.
"He has physical needs and feels the best way to allow him to be ready for the start of our season is to be in here with us," said Farrell, who said the decision was made during a conference call with Ramirez, Red Sox president Dave Dombrowski and Dominican Republic manager Felipe Alou. "He's prioritizing what his needs are currently and being ready for our season."
With David Ortiz now retired, Ramirez was expected to DH against right-handed pitching (with Mitch Moreland manning first base) and play first against lefties this season.
