Indians OK Choo to stay with Koreans in Classic
South Korean outfielder Choo Shin-Soo was cleared Wednesday to keep playing in the World Baseball Classic after being examined by Cleveland Indians team doctors.
Choo had been bothered by a sore left triceps muscle and the Major League Baseball club worried the injury might have some connection to 2007 ligament transplant surgery in his left elbow.
"He had a full examination, and all went well," Indians general manager Mark Shapiro said. "We had an uneasy feeling with him on a different continent. He said he was sore, but now it is all gone.
"With our attention to detail in this organization regarding medical issues, there is no way he would be going back to the World Baseball Classic if there was anything to be concerned about."
Clubs have the final say over participation of their stars in the 16-team global showdown because most team's top talent are preparing for the upcoming North American major league season.
Choo went 1-for-7 in three games for South Korea in the first-round group played at Tokyo. The Koreans beat Japan on Monday 1-0 to claim a top seed for second-round play that begins Sunday in San Diego.
The Koreans agreed to Indians demands before the Classic that Choo sit out a game in each round and that he would play in the outfield only once in round one and twice in non-consecutive games in round two.
Choo spent the first two months of last season on the injured list but hit .309 with 14 home runs and drove in 66 runs for the Indians in 94 games.
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