The Pittsburgh Pirates have a few players participating in the World Baseball Classic, but Ji-Man Choi won’t be one of them.
The South Korean first baseman was released from the team’s roster on Monday after the Pirates’ medical objection was upheld. Choi said that he was “deeply hurt” by the news.
Pirates general manager Ben Cherington was a guest on the Audacy Original Podcast “Baseball Isn’t Boring” and gave a few pieces of context behind Pittsburgh’s decision with Choi and the World Baseball Classic.
“Ji-Man had an elbow procedure earlier this offseason and that was something that was planned after his season ended in Tampa. We were aware of it at the time of the deal, kind of went through that. We knew roughly what the recovery was going to look like coming into 2023, and he’s on pace with the recovery, but it hasn’t been a totally normal offseason,” Cherington said. “It’s not uncommon, I don’t think, when players have something like that inside an offseason that the team would have some concern about participation in the WBC.”
Choi underwent surgery in November just days prior to being traded to the Pirates. He’s recovering well and took live batting practice recently, but Pittsburgh wanted to proceed cautiously.
Understandably, Choi is disappointed with the Pirates’ decision.
“Another piece of context is that I think sometimes it’s, you know, one can be disappointed and also understand, and those are two different things,” Cherington said. “Both can be true at the same time.
“I believe that Ji-Man understands why he’s not participating in the WBC but he can still be disappointed. He’s a proud South Korean and that’s a team that, obviously, he’s got a personal emotional attachment to and they’re going to be playing a tournament that people care about. I totally get it.”
Cherington and the Pirates are hoping that Choi’s exclusion from the World Baseball Classic can end up helping him in the long run. The 32-year-old is set to be a free agent after this season.
“I think overall we want to put him in the best possible position to have a successful season,” he said. “I know that’s important to him to have a successful season. I’m confident that we’re in a good spot with Ji-Man. He understands even if he’s disappointed.”
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