The World Baseball Classic begins on March 8th, with 20 teams vying for the ultimate prize. Among them is a talent-filled Venezuela roster, but it won’t consist of Atlanta Braves superstar Ronald Acuna Jr. The outfielder took to social media on Thursday, calling out the MLB for not allowing certain players to participate in the event, which is during Spring Training.
Via Daniel Alvarez-Montes:
Ronald Acuña Jr. on Instagram regarding the @WBCBaseball: “If MLB is organizing the event, why are some players getting permission to play and others don’t? I’m one of them” pic.twitter.com/r5yOykmSOP
— Daniel Álvarez-Montes (@DanielAlvarezEE) January 12, 2023
To clarify, Major League Baseball does not organize the WBC. They are a partner, though. Big league clubs need to give players the green light to participate in the tournament. At this point, it appears the Braves have not allowed Acuna to suit up for his country.
Back in September, Ronald Acuna Jr reportedly committed to play for Team Venezuela. If Atlanta is indeed behind the decision to keep their slugger in Florida for Spring Training, you can’t exactly blame them. He already tore his ACL in 2021 and only played 82 games, even though the Braves went on to win the World Series.
With the World Baseball Classic happening just before the 2023 campaign begins, a lot of ballclubs won’t be taking any chances when it comes to star players. Others who are expected to be involved in the Venezuelan squad are Miguel Cabrera, Jose Altuve, and Luis Arraez. There is no question they will be disappointed not to have Acuna Jr, but it’s probably for the best in regard to Atlanta’s aspirations next season. The worst thing possible is for him to go on international duty and suffer an injury that hinders his availability in the show.
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