Edwin Uceta Misses the World Baseball Classic Due to Shoulder Discomfort
Dominican pitcher Edwin Uceta will not be part of the Dominican Republic’s team in the next World Baseball Classic due to discomfort in his throwing shoulder. However, the Tampa Bay Rays are confident that he will be available for the Opening Day of the season. Tampa Bay manager Kevin Cash reported that the right-hander felt a slight discomfort in his shoulder after joining spring training last week. Although the discomfort had not significantly impacted his preparation, as Uceta had done bullpen sessions in the Dominican Republic and pitched recently without problems, the pitcher preferred not to risk worsening the situation.This decision prevents Uceta from advancing his preparation to join the Dominican team, which was scheduled to begin exhibition games in Santo Domingo in early March before the group stage in Miami. Without the pressure of that schedule, the Rays will be able to handle the reliever’s progression more cautiously. With almost six weeks before the start of the regular season on March 26 in St. Louis, the organization assured that there is no concern about his availability.“He’s been doing all his work, but when he mentioned he wasn’t feeling 100%, we understood that, given how important he is to our team and our bullpen, the most sensible thing was to keep him here, treat him and allow him to move forward at his own pace instead of speeding up the process,” Cash noted.
Kevin Cash
Uceta, who had expressed his enthusiasm for representing his country, will now focus on arriving in optimal condition at the start of the campaign with Tampa Bay.“We are totally calm and we fully intend for him to be ready for Opening Day,” Cash said.
Kevin Cash
