Carlos Pena will sit out the World Baseball Classic following abdominal surgery.
Tampa Bay’s slugging first baseman had minor surgery Jan. 8 in Philadelphia to repair a tear to his lower abdominal muscle. He is expected to be ready for spring training but will be held out of the WBC as a precaution, Rays spokesman Chris Costello said Thursday.
Costello added that the injury should not affect Pena’s season.
The 30-year-old Pena was on the Dominican Republic’s provisional roster for the World Baseball Classic, which runs from March 5-23.
He led the AL champion Rays with 31 homers and 102 RBIs last season despite missing 20 games with a broken left index finger. Pena also became the first player in franchise history to win a Gold Glove.
