CARY, N.C. (AP) — Pitchers Homer Bailey, Edwin Jackson and David Robertson, catcher Matt Wieters, infielder Todd Frazier and outfielders Matt Kemp and John Jay were among 28 players announced Sunday for a U.S. training camp ahead of the Americans’ second chance to qualify for the Olympic baseball tournament.
Left-hander Clayton Andrews and right-hander Brandon Dickson are the only holdovers from the 28-man roster in November 2019, when the U.S. was three outs from qualifying for the Olympics at the Premier12 tournament in Tokyo before wasting a ninth-inning lead in a 3-2, 10-inning loss to Mexico.
Matt Clark hit a tying home run off Dickson leading off the bottom of the ninth inning, and Efren Navarro had a broken-bat single against Caleb Thielbar to drive in the winning run in the 10th.
Only players not on 26-man major league rosters and injured lists are eligible.
Mike Scioscia has taken over as U.S. manager from Scott Brosius, who managed the U.S. at the Premier12 after Joe Girardi quit and became manager of the Philadelphia Phillies.
The roster will be trimmed to 26 on May 30.
The U.S. opens the Americas qualifying tournament against Nicaragua on May 31 at Port St. Lucie, Florida, plays the Dominican Republic the next day at West Palm Beach and closes first-round play in Group A against Puerto Rico on June 2 at Port St. Lucie.
Canada, Colombia, Cuba and Venezuela are in Group B.
The top two teams in each group advance to the super round on June 4 and June 5, and first-round results carry over. The top team from the super round joins Japan, Israel, Mexico and South Korea at the Olympic baseball tournament, to be played in Japan from July 28 to Aug. 7 in Fukushima and Yokohama.
Second- and third-place teams advance to a final qualifier in June in Mexico, which will include Australia, Netherlands and Taiwan.
Baseball is returning to the Olympics after being dropped for 2012 and 2016. Cuba won the gold medal in 1992, 1996 and 2004, the United States in 2000 and South Korea in 2008.
Baseball is likely to be dropped for the 2024 Olympics in Paris and then restored again for 2028 in Los Angeles.
The roster:
Right-handed pitchers: Homer Bailey, Jonathan Bowlan (Kansas City), Brandon Dickson, Edwin Jackson, DJ Johnson (Cleveland), David Robertson, Joe Ryan (Tampa Bay), James Sherfy (San Francisco), Simeon Woods Richardson (Toronto)
Left-handed pitchers: Clayton Andrews (Milwaukee), Anthony Gose (Cleveland), Trevor Lane (N.Y. Yankees), Matthew Libertore (St. Louis), Drew Parrish (Kansas City), Marc Rzepczynski
Catchers: Tim Federowicz (L.A. Dodgers), Mark Kolozsvary (Cincinnati), Matt Wieters
Infielders: Nick Allen (Oakland), Eddy Alvarez (Miami), Triston Cases (Boston), Logan Forsythe (Milwaukee), Todd Frazier, Luke Williams (Philadelphia)
Outfielders: Jarren Duran (Boston), Eric Filia (Seattle), Jon Jay (L.A. Angels), Matt Kemp
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