Soto, who complained of pain, gave up WBC? The coach said, “I can be confident in participating in the national team.”
Will Juan Soto (25, San Diego Padres), who complained of pain ahead of the World Baseball Classic (WBC), be able to wear the uniform of the Dominican Republic?
MLB.com, the official homepage of the American Major League Baseball (MLB), reported on the 7th (Korean time) that Soto did not leave for the WBC camp due to pain in his left calf and remained in Peoria, Arizona, where the team’s spring camp is located.메이저놀이터
On the 28th of last month, before an exhibition game against the Los Angeles Dodgers, Soto was withdrawn from the lineup after complaining of strain in his right calf. It wasn’t a major injury, and he went on to normalize his exhibition schedule.
However, once he had symptoms of suspected injury, question marks began to follow him over his participation in the WBC. This is because, prior to Soto, many players had already withdrawn from the competition with suspicious symptoms rather than major injuries.
Soto didn’t immediately decide whether or not to play for the national team, but decided to defer judgment. MLB.com reported that Manny Machado (31), who is on the same team as Soto and was also selected for the Dominican national team, has already left to join the national team in Miami, Florida, USA on the morning of the 6th (local time). Unlike Machado, Soto, who did not leave the San Diego camp, stayed behind to complete running and hitting training.
“I feel good now,” Soto said. “(The pain) is improving a lot. But the club wants to make sure I’m ready to go (to the national team).” For San Diego, this means that they need to be confident that Soto is healthy before sending him to the national team.
Of course, it is not that the team is expressing unilateral opposition and concerns. “I’m still confident that Soto will play (in the WBC). I know Soto wants to play for the national team,” said San Diego manager Bob Melvin. However, he added, “If the pain persists and Soto is not confident in his health, we will reconsider his participation in the national team.”
Soto is one of MLB’s leading hitters and one of the Dominican Republic’s key players. He ranked first in 2021 with his on-base percentage of 0.465 and ranked second in MVP (Most Valuable Player) voting. He has already been evaluated as one of the top MLB players in terms of hitting.
The Dominican Republic, which is losing its main forces in its quest to win, is desperate for Soto to join. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (Toronto Blue Jays), who had already been selected as the starting first baseman, gave up playing for the national team due to injury symptoms.
