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Two key Red Sox commit to World Baseball Classic, where does rest of roster stand?
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- Two key Red Sox commit to World Baseball Classic, where does rest of roster stand?
Two key members of the Red Sox , as expected, were officially announced as participants in this year’s World Baseball Classic on Thursday.
Team Venezuela officially announced that outfielder Wilyer Abreu will play in the tournament while the Dominican Republic selected starter Brayan Bello to its roster. Both players will leave spring training to participate in the event, which begins March 5. Both of their teams will play in Pool D with the first round set to be held in Miami .
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It’ll be the first WBC for both Bello and Abreu, who have long expressed interest in suiting up for their countries. The pair of 26-year-olds aren’t the only members of the Red Sox who are expected to play .
Reliever Garrett Whitlock committed to Team USA in November and his bullpen mate, closer Aroldis Chapman , will be on the roster for Great Britain, as manager Alex Cora said earlier this month. Outfielders Jarren Duran (Mexico) and Ceddanne Rafaela (Netherlands) have been confirmed as participants as well.
Right-hander Greg Weissert has been selected to Team Italy’s roster, a source confirmed Thursday. As El Emergente’s Marcos Grunfeld has reported, newcomer Ranger Suárez expects to pitch for Venezuela as well. That is not yet official. Lefty reliever Jovani Morán is expected to suit up for Puerto Rico, according to Cora.
The Red Sox are awaiting word on the status of two players — first baseman Willson Contreras (Venezuela) and outfielder/designated hitter Masataka Yoshida (Japan) — and both cases are considering pending, a source said.
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Infielder Marcelo Mayer , who was hopeful to play for Team Mexico but was dealing with insurance issues related to the wrist surgery he had last summer, will not play in the tournament. Catcher Carlos Narváez (Venezuela) has also been ruled out. Outfielder Roman Anthony and starter Garrett Crochet are among the Red Sox who will not participate. Other key contributors, including Sonny Gray , Trevor Story and Johan Oviedo , have not been mentioned as candidates to play.
The final WBC rosters will be announced next Thursday (February 5) on MLB Network.
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