The San Diego Padres got some disappointing news about reliever Yuki Matsui that confirmed initial reports, and Matsui is now officially out of the WBC for Samurai Japan, with his Opening Day status in question as well.
As reported by AJ Cassavell of MLB.com, Matsui strained his left groin during a batting practice session after arriving at Padres camp. The initial followup on the injury was cautiously hopeful with Matsui back to playing catch, but at this point no one knows if he’ll be ready for the start of the regular season at the end of March.
This could be yet another cautionary tale regarding the WBC and the players who are rapidly ramping up for the international competition. Many players have altered their offseason programs to get ready early, and while it would be unfair to say that’s the case with Matsui, this isn’t the last time we’ll hear this kind of WBC-related injury report.
Matsui was especially primed for this edition of the WBC, with Cassavell stating that he was slated to be one of the most important relievers for the Japanese team, which won the last edition of the WBC back in 2023.
“It’s pretty disappointing,” Matsui said through team interpreter Ike Ogata. “Especially since I didn’t do so well in the last WBC, and I was looking forward to playing in this one. But that’s not the only thing. It’s baseball. I’m trying to move on, to get the best preparation for the season and to play for the Padres.”
Matsui is a key piece of the San Diego bullpen, although he’s not the first name that comes up when the Padres’ strengths in that area are mentioned. He’s posted a 3.86 ERA in 125 appearances over two seasons, and the left-handers has been used frequently in the middle innings.
In a normal spring training scenario, Matsui probably would have arrived with less preparation under his belt, and he’d be nursed through camp to get him to Opening Day. Now the team will fall back to Plan B, which is likely what should have happened in the first place.
“Right now I’m just continuing the throwing progression, getting intensities and distances of [playing] catch back up,” Matsui said. “Once it’s good enough, then I’ll start throwing off the mound. But as to when, we don’t know yet. … We’re not sure yet [about Opening Day].
Japan is scheduled to open the tournament on March 6 against Chinese Taipei at the Tokyo Dome, according to Cassavell, with the group stage also to be played in Japan before the winners advance and travel to the US for the knockout rounds. Matsui says he’ll try to watch those games, but it won’t be easy because of the time difference.
“I was looking forward to playing with them,” Matsui said. “I think the Tokyo games, because of the time differences, I don’t think I can watch in real time. But I believe they’re going to make it to the round in Miami. And I think that’s when I’ll be able to watch live -- and cheer for them.”