Scherzer out of WBC with knuckle injury, OK for spring training

Max Scherzer won't be pitching in the World Baseball Classic after all.

Scherzer will have to sit out this spring's international competition while recovering from a stress fracture in the knuckle on his right ring finger, the Nationals announced this afternoon.

The team didn't say when or how Scherzer sustained the injury but said the pitcher still will be a "full participant" in spring training.

Scherzer had accepted an offer to pitch for Team USA in the WBC earlier this winter, jumping at the opportunity afforded to him by manager Jim Leyland, his former skipper with the Tigers.

"I have so much respect for Jim Leyland," the right-hander said last month, "that when he asks me to play, you don't say no."

This would have been Scherzer's first time participating in the WBC, and he was particularly excited about the possibility after watching the event on television in previous years.

"I've seen different games and videos where the fans are going crazy, especially for the Latin American countries," he said. "It seems like those fans are crazy out there. Seems like an environment that I want to pitch in."

Scherzer would have missed at least a couple weeks of camp this spring, with Team USA scheduled to begin workouts in Florida in early March, play first-round games in Miami from March 9-13 and likely play second-round games in San Diego from March 14-19, with the championship round set to take place in Los Angeles from March 20-22.

If he participates fully in spring training as the Nationals say, Scherzer shouldn't face any disruptions in his preparation for the season. He'll actually have a couple extra days to get ready, with teams across baseball reporting early to account for the WBC.

Nationals pitchers and catchers are scheduled to report to their new spring complex in West Palm Beach, Fla., on Feb. 14.

Teammates Daniel Murphy (USA) and Oliver Perez (Mexico) remain on the preliminary WBC rosters for their respective countries, and other Nationals could wind up playing in the tournament as well.

Update: In a message posted on his Twitter account, Scherzer said he suffered the injury in August and is confident he'll be fine to start the 2017 season.

"In late August I experienced discomfort in my right ring finger and received a finger sprain diagnosis," the pitcher wrote. "Since I was pain free during my starts and my performance and velocity were unaffected, I continued to pitch. The medical staff and I both agreed this likely wouldn't resolve itself until the offseason when I could rest. By December my symptoms had not dissipated and that's when a 2nd MRI revealed a stress fracture in the knuckle of my right ring finger. I am undergoing treatment and am on pace to return before Spring Training, however, I am no longer in a position to compete in the World Baseball Classic. I am disappointed that I will not get to reunite with Jim Leyland and Jeff Jones, but I'm excited to see how Team USA performs this spring."