The World Baseball Classic is right around the corner, and countries are making substitutions and changes to their roster to make sure they are ready for the tournament.
Venezuela Adds Five New Pitchers – The big news for Venezuela is that Pablo López will miss the World Baseball Classic and the Major League Baseball season, as he is set to undergo Tommy John surgery. He has been replaced by Jhonathan Díaz, the team announced.
Díaz has pitched in 17 games in the big leagues since 2021, but has a 3.81 ERA in 213 minor league games in his career.
Additionally, Christian Suárez and Luinder Ávila are replacing José Alvarado and Oddanier Mosqueda for Venezuela. Alvarado was suspended last season for 80 games after testing positive for exogenous testosterone, but had a 3.81 ERA in the 28 games he played. He was set to be a key player coming out of the bullpen.
Anthony Molina will also be replacing Germán Márquez. Márquez has pitched in 203 big league games and has a 4.67 career ERA. He is an experienced starter who could end up playing a huge role for Venezuela.
Colombia Replaces Crismatt With Carlos Arroyo – Carlos Arroyo is replacing Nabil Crismatt for Colombia. Crismatt’s elbow surgery has taken him out of the tournament, and Arroyo will now get a chance to represent his country.
Colombia is opting to replace a pitcher with a versatile position player. Arroyo spent time in the Atlanta Braves organization last year and can play second base, third base and centerfield.
Urquidy Out, Ramirez In For Mexico – Roel Ramírez is replacing Jose Urquidy for Team Mexico. Urquidy signed with the Pittsburgh Pirates and became ineligible because of insurance.
Ramirez pitched in the big leagues with the St. Louis Cardinals in 2020 and 2021. Since then, he has pitched in the Liga Mexicana de Béisbol. Last season, he had a 3.16 EA in 40 games for the Toros de Tijuana.
Juan Mejia Joins Dominican Republic – Juan Mejía is replacing Edwin Uceta, who is dealing with a shoulder injury. The Tampa Bay Rays do not think it is a long-term issue, but his opening day status is up in the air, and he will not pitch for his country.
Mejía made his debut and played 55 games for the Rockies last season and had a 3.96 ERA. He is a solid option out of the bullpen. He was not great at the Rockies’ hitter-friendly ballpark, but had a 2.45 ERA on the road. Right-handed hitters hit just .196 against him last season.
Photo: Pablo Lopez #49 of the Minnesota Twins pitches against the Kansas City Royals on March 28, 2024 at Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City, Missouri. (Photo by Brace Hemmelgarn/Minnesota Twins/Getty Images)
