David Wright is out for tonight's World Baseball Classic showdown with the Dominican Republic, according to the MLB.com Twitter feed.
2013 World Baseball Classic: David Wright not in the line-up vs. Dominican Republic
USA starting third baseman David Wright will miss the game with what is described as a “sore back.”
USA TODAY Sports
Wright was penciled-in for third base, but was a last minute scratch after tweaking his back during batting practice.
Willie Bloomquist will replace Wright in the line-up and also play third base.
Wright is batting .438 during the World Baseball Classic to this point, so losing his bat will be a blow for the United States line-up.
The winner of tonight’s game will advance to the WBC’s final in San Francisco, so without Wright the USA will need to be picked up by the rest of its line-up.
This serves as a not-so-gentle reminder that although the players do care about this tournament, they still value staying healthy for the regular season more. It is unclear whether Wright himself or the Mets made the decision to scratch him, but either way it takes some of the legitimacy away.
All World Baseball Classic Scores:
Dominican Republic 0, United States 0 (in-progress)
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