Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (24, Toronto Blue Jays), who was unable to participate in the World Baseball Classic (WBC) due to injury, expressed his gratitude to his teammates for supporting his decision.

MLB.com, the official homepage of the Major League Baseball (MLB), reported an interview with Guerrero Jr. on the 6th (Korean time).

Guerrero Jr. started in the Tampa Bay Race and MLB demonstration game held on the 4th, but suffered right knee pain and was replaced after only one at-bat.

Originally, Guerrero Jr. planned to play an exhibition game against the Philadelphia Phillies on the 6th and join the Dominican Republic national team to participate in the WBC, but it was canceled due to an injury.

As a result of the examination, fortunately, it was not a serious injury, but the loss of not being able to represent the country was great. 나르샤 토토

After announcing that the injury was not serious, Guerrero Jr. said, “Right now, getting healthy is the priority. I feel a lot better.”

Guerrero Jr. thanked his Dominican teammates and family for supporting him despite his absence from the WBC.

He said, “I was able to make the decision because I had family and friends who supported me (without attending the WBC). My colleagues also told me not to hang my head, and the WBC told me not to worry and focus on preparing for the regular season.”

The Dominican Republic national team selected Washington Nationals infielder Jamer Candelario as a substitute for Guerrero Jr.

Guerrero Jr.’s injury is not severe, so it is not expected that it will take a long time to return.

Toronto coach John Schneider said, “Guerrero Jr.’s rehabilitation program will be mainly rest and daily treatment,” and said, “There is no need to overdo it right now.”