The Yankees and their fans can breathe a sigh of relief.
According to the Associated Press, Masahiro Tanaka will sit out this year’s World Baseball Classic. “Taking various things into consideration, it would be difficult so I will not participate,” he said at his former stadium in northeastern Japan on Monday.
Tanaka, 28, was a member of the 2009 Japanese team that won the WBC. He went 14-4 with a 3.07 ERA and 165 strikeouts in 199.2 innings over 31 starts last year.
With question marks surrounding their rotation, the Yankees could ill-afford an injury to their ace. Tanaka is still pitching with a small tear in his ulnar collateral ligament which he suffered in 2014, so it’s best to limit his workload as much as possible. While teams have no say in whether or not their players compete in the tournament, Tanaka’s decision to focus on the regular season is likely the Yankees’ wish as well.
Didi Gregorius (Netherlands) and Dellin Betances (Dominican Republic) will play in the WBC which goes from March 6-22.
