Joel Sherman of the New York Post reports that Angels outfielder Mike Trout and Nationals outfielder Bryce Harper are unlikely to participate in the 2017 World Baseball Classic in March.
Harper’s agent, Scott Boras, confirmed that Harper would not play. Boras said, “The key thing for players is routine. The key thing [for Harper] certainly is to focus on conditioning and getting ready for the season.”
Trout’s agent, Craig Landis, did not respond to text or email messages.
Having either Trout or Harper, or both, would certainly boost the chances for the U.S. to win the WBC. The U.S. is in Pool C along with Canada, Colombia, and the Dominican Republic.
Per Sherman, players on the preliminary 50-man roster include Chris Archer, Nolan Arenado, Jake Arrieta, Kris Bryant, Eric Hosmer, Ian Kinsler, Corey Kluber, Jonathan Lucroy, Andrew Miller, Buster Posey, David Price, Max Scherzer, Giancarlo Stanton, Justin Verlander and Christian Yelich.