Mariners third baseman Adrian Beltre hasn't decided if he'll represent the Dominican Republic in next month's World Baseball Classic, the Associated Press reports.
It appears his health will be the deciding factor. He's coming off injuries to his left thumb and shoulder that put him on the shelf for the final two weeks of last season. Manager Don Wakamatsu has told Beltre he can play in the WBC but has expressed his concerns about the possibility of further injury.
Beltre is expected to test his shoulder and thumb during spring training games this week. He didn't play Wednesday in a 4-3 loss to the San Diego Padres.
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I'd love to see Beltre in the WBC. He makes a good point in the AP story that he's just as likely to aggravate either injury in spring training.
It's no surprise Beltre is trying to play despite the injuries, he's tough as nails. He played most of last season with those injuries and still won his second consecutive Gold Glove. Before he was placed on the DL he was playing third base with a torn ligament in the thumb of his glove hand. I imagine that would hurt.
He is quoted in the report as saying he might DH for the Dominican team to take it easy on his shoulder. That would be unfortunate. He's the best in the world at third base and the WBC would be a nice stage to prove that.
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