Uceta (sore shoulder) won't pitch in World Baseball Classic

PORT CHARLOTTE, Fla. -- High-leverage reliever Edwin Uceta will not pitch for the Dominican Republic in the upcoming World Baseball Classic due to a sore throwing shoulder, but the Rays still expect the right-hander to be ready for Opening Day.

Rays manager Kevin Cash said Sunday that Uceta has been dealing with “a little cranky shoulder” that he brought up after reporting to Spring Training last week.

“It was a difficult decision, but it's a decision that had to be made for me to get ready for the season,” Uceta said through interpreter Kevin Vera. “Obviously very upset that I can't represent my country, but it's a decision that we had to make for the start of the season.”

Uceta had been throwing bullpen sessions with no issues in the Dominican Republic under the watch of Rays bullpen coach Jorge Moncada, but he took nearly a week off to attend his arbitration hearing in Arizona last month. He said he began to feel “a little bit uncomfortable” when he returned home, although he was still able to throw and play catch at Charlotte Sports Park as recently as Friday.

“He's been doing all that. But as soon as he noted that, ‘I just feel not 100%,’ I think given how important he is to our team, our bullpen, it makes the most sense to do everything we can to keep him here, treat him and get him going at his pace, rather than ramping up really fast,” Cash said.

If he had remained committed to play for the star-studded Dominican team in the WBC, Uceta would have had to leave camp in roughly two weeks to prepare for the club’s exhibition games in Santo Domingo on March 3-4. The Dominican team begins pool play in Miami on March 6.

That schedule would require more aggressive preparation. Fellow WBC-bound Rays relievers Griffin Jax and Garrett Cleavinger, for instance, advanced to facing hitters in live batting practice this weekend. In previous years, the Rays haven’t always had their top bullpen arms throw live BP this early in camp.

Without the deadline of his WBC departure looming, Uceta said he will take a few days off from throwing to get his body right. With nearly six weeks to go before Tampa Bay begins the regular season in St. Louis on March 26, Uceta said he is “not in a rush” and not worried about his availability. Cash also expressed no doubts about Uceta’s recovery.

“We're totally not concerned at all and have every intention of him being ready for Opening Day,” Cash said.

Uceta should play a key role in Tampa Bay’s bullpen this year as the club moves forward without former closer Pete Fairbanks. Uceta, Jax, Cleavinger and Bryan Baker are among the top candidates to handle high-leverage situations, as they did last season.

Uceta, 28, broke out as a dominant reliever when he recorded a 1.51 ERA with 57 strikeouts and eight walks in 41 2/3 innings over 30 appearances for the Rays in 2024. Home runs were an issue early last season, as he owned a 5.77 ERA after his first 40 appearances, but he returned to form midseason and put up a 1.70 ERA with 54 strikeouts and 11 walks in 37 innings over 30 appearances the rest of the way.

Camp notes

• Second baseman Gavin Lux reported to camp on Saturday and participated in his first workout with the Rays on Sunday. Veteran Yandy Díaz is expected to arrive Monday, the official report date for position players ahead of Tuesday’s full-squad workout.

• With MLB introducing the Automated Ball-Strike (ABS) Challenge System this year, the Rays have encouraged their players to challenge calls during their early live BP sessions.

The Rays will meet Monday morning with Michael Hill, MLB’s vice president of on-field operations and workforce development, to learn more about the ABS Challenge System and other rule changes being put in place this season.

“We're trying to get the catchers and the hitter to be pretty active,” Cash said. “Challenge whatever you want to challenge, just to get a sense of it.”