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Although 1st Baseman Albert Pujols is excited about his future with the St. Louis Cardinals, his future with the Dominican Republic baseball team is looking grim. Thanks to nerve transposition surgery that Albert underwent in October, he is expected to miss the World Baseball Classic. When asked about the Classic, Pujols gave a response similar to one Johan Santana gave about his status with the tournament:
“My main priority is here, to make sure that I’m ready for my season,” Pujols said. “Obviously it’s always good to represent the Dominican Republic. I’ve already done it once. I need to make sure everything goes the right way. I’m not going to go out there and play without insurance. I don’t think that’s a smart thing, myself coming from an injury. … I need to make sure right here in the next couple weeks how my elbow reacts to training here every day. I train during the offseason and it’s not the same as here in Spring Training.”
This is a big hit for the Dominican Republic, but it isn’t that bad. 3rd Baseman Aramis Ramirez might vill the void, but the DR still has Jose Reyes, Alex Rodriguez, and Hanley Ramirez on the roster to make up for missing production.
