Melky Cabrera withdraws from World Baseball Classic

Blue Jays outfielder Melky Cabrera was withdrawn from the World Baseball Classic, choosing to instead focus on spring training with his new team.

By Mike Axisa

Feb 2, 2013 at 7:08 pm ET • 1 min read

Cabrera hit .346 with the Giants before he was suspended for failing a PED test. (US Presswire)

Melky Cabrera will not participate in the World Baseball Classic, reports Dionisio Soldevila of The Associated Press. The outfielder was on the Dominican Republic's provisional roster released earlier this month, but will instead focus on spring training with the Blue Jays.

Cabrera, 28, signed a two-year, $16 million contract with Toronto earlier this month after hitting .346/.390/.506 with 11 homers and 13 steals for the Giants last season. He was suspended 50 games in mid-August for elevated levels of testosterone, but not before associates reportedly created a fake website in an attempt to explain the positive test. San Francisco did not add him to its playoff roster even though he was eligible.

The only two outfielders left on the Dominican Republic's roster are Nelson Cruz and Carlos Gomez. Cruz is under investigation for his connection to performance-enhancing drugs and a South Florida clinic. Emilio Bonifacio (Blue Jays ), Alejandro De Aza (White Sox) and Jose Costanza (Braves) are among the active big-leaguers the WBC squad could pursue to help fill out the roster.

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