Baseball routine hurt by WBC

Players’ habits forced to change with tournament

Tamba Bay Rays closer Fernando Rodney was used by the Dominican Republic so much during the World Baseball Classic — in all eight games, in fact — the Rays now have to ease back on his preparation. They will have to hope and pray he will be effective — not only in April but late September.

Catcher Jose Molina was used so little by Puerto Rico in the WBC, the Rays are scrambling to find him extra at-bats in minor-league games just so he will be ready for the start of the season.

Then there are the injuries that occurred during the WBC. Dodgers shortstop Hanley Ramirez is out two months after tearing a ligament in his right thumb while playing third base during the championship. Mets third baseman David Wright tweaked his back. Yankees first baseman Mark Teixeira messed up his wrist in a hitting drill with the U.S. team before the tournament even started. He could be out until June now. Blue Jays third baseman Brett Lawrie has not resumed playing after injuring his ribs in a WBC warmup game.

And all for what? A tournament that holds little-to-no interest for many majorleague players and most major-league fans.

You could make the argument Ramirez and Lawrie could just as easily have hurt themselves in exhibition games with their clubs.

But what about Rodney’s heavy workload or Molina’s light use? Those are just two of many examples of players across the majors either playing too much or not enough over the past couple of weeks to play in a tournament that most fans have already forgotten.

I do understand Major League Baseball is trying to grow the game worldwide. And you can see how much this tournament means to countries other than the United States, including the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico and Japan.

But when it starts to affect the Major League Baseball season, you have to wonder if it’s worth it. There’s a reason why stars such as David Price, Justin Verlander, Buster Posey, Prince Fielder, Andrew McCutchen and Mike Trout didn’t play for the United States, and it has nothing to do with a lack of American spirit. They made Major League Baseball their No. 1 priority.

Maybe Major League Baseball should do the same. Scrap the WBC. It does more harm than good.