Oakland A’s starter Sonny Gray will pitch for Team USA in the upcoming 2017 World Baseball Classic, reports Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle. The WBC will take place from March 6-22, during MLB’s spring training.
Sonny joins a United States rotation that features Chris Archer, Marcus Stroman, Tanner Roark, and Danny Duffy, but that already lost Max Scherzer to a finger injury. Team USA’s first three games will come in pool play from March 10-12, against Colombia, Dominican Republic, and Canada, respectively. (Click here for full schedule.)
There are now four A’s confirmed for the WBC, plus two more Oakland minor leaguers (full updated list of rosters at CBS):
- Sonny Gray, Team USA
- Khris Davis, Team Mexico (link)
- John Axford, Team Canada
- Liam Hendriks, Team Australia
- Ryan Lavarnway, Team Israel (catcher, minor league free agent signing)
- Joey Wagman, Team Israel (RHP, went to Monte Vista High School in Danville)
Congrats to Sonny on his selection to Team USA! Check out Slusser’s article for updates and quotes regarding his health (obviously they are good).