Blue Jays Starter Denied WBC Roster Spot After Getting Initial Clearance
In this story:
Puerto Rico advanced to the quarterfinals of the World Baseball Classic and thought it added some pitching depth in the process.
Puerto Rico native and Toronto Blue Jays starter José Berríos was initially set to join the roster for the WBC quarterfinals, PR manager Yadier Molina announced on Tuesday night.
But they had to quickly backtrack, per Maria Torres of The Athletic, who posted on X (formerly Twitter) that Puerto Rico's general manager, Carlos Beltrán, told reporters that Berríos did not get the clearance. He said they learned of it at 7 p.m. eastern, after Molina had spoken to reporters.
If you like our content, choose Sports Illustrated as a preferred source on Google.
José Berríos' Strange Day
Berríos was initially left off the Puerto Rican roster because of insurance issues for pool play. Those insurance issues stemmed from an injury he suffered last season.
Had Berríos been allowed to pitch, it would have been his fourth straight WBC tournament, dating back to his age 19 season in 2013. Over his 9.2 innings spanning 10 years, Berríos has allowed 16 runs (15 earned) and struck out a dozen batters.
It would have been a shot at redemption on the international stage for the 31-year-old, who has pitched well in spring training for the Blue Jays. Berríos has allowed just four runs over 10.2 innings and posted seven strikeouts this spring.
Berríos has historically dominated through spring training and owns a 3.16 ERA over 148 innings in exhibition baseball. While his spring success hasn't leaked as well into the regular season, Berríos has been a steady starter over his four-plus seasons in Toronto.
The 2012 No. 32 overall pick has 30 or more starts in every full season with the Blue Jays, and posted a 4.17 ERA last season. His 166 innings were the fewest through his tenure with Toronto, but he still secured a 9-5 record.
Berríos had hoped that even after he was initially turned down by insurers that he still might get clearance after some work in spring training.
"I want to pitch in the WBC. I have that in mind," he said. "That's my goal right now. First of all, get through spring training healthy and strong and then get ready for the WBC," Berríos said in December when asked about his potential participation in the WBC.
Now, it appears he won't get his chance to keep his WBC streak alive.
