World Baseball Classic

Vladimir Guerrero Jr. off Dominican Republic WBC roster due to knee inflammation

Updated Mar. 4, 2023 2:42 p.m. ET

Toronto Blue Jays star Vladimir Guerrero Jr. has withdrawn from playing for the Dominican Republic in the World Baseball Classic due to inflammation in his right knee.

Toronto manager John Schneider said Saturday that an MRI showed no structural damage in the knee. Guerrero left the Blue Jays’ spring training game on Friday with discomfort after taking some awkward steps into second base following a hit.

The Blue Jays later announced that Guerrero was withdrawing from the WBC. He was scheduled to leave the Blue Jays to join the Dominican Republic team on Sunday, joining several of his fellow MLB stars who are representing their countries in the global tournament.

The 23-year-old was expected to be part of a stacked lineup for the Dominican Republic. Guerrero played 160 games last season and hit .274 with 32 homers and 97 RBIs for the Blue Jays. The Dominican Republic will still be one of the favorites to win the WBC this month despite Guerrero's absence, with other superstars such as Julio Rodriguez of the Seattle Mariners and Juan Soto and Manny Machado of the San Diego Padres still set to compete for their national team.

Guerrero is the third Blue Jays player to withdraw from the WBC joining catcher Alejandro Kirk (Mexico) and relief pitcher Jordan Romano (Italy).

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The 2023 World Baseball Classic will run from March 8 to March 21 and can be seen exclusively in the U.S. on the FOX family of networks and the FOX Sports App. In addition to the Dominican Republic, favorites in the tournament include the United States, led by team captain Mike Trout, Japan, led by Trout's Los Angeles Angels teammate Shohei Ohtani, and Puerto Rico, led by Javier Baez of the Detroit Tigers and Francisco Lindor of the New York Mets.