Ronald Acuna, Jr. is unlikely to play for Venezuela in the World Baseball Classic, something he expressed a desire to do multiple times.

The Atlanta Braves want to keep the 25-year-old out of the event for precautionary reasons.

Acuna tore his ACL in July 2021 and had surgery shortly thereafter. He returned on April 28, 2022 and played through the rest of the season.

"I have always said that I want to represent my country, but that's not a decision I can make," Acuna said. "The team, the medics and the staff will take care of that."

Earlier this month, Acuna posted (and quickly deleted) an Instagram Story questioning why he could not play for Venezuelan after playing most of the 2022 season.

Mike Trout says he's pain-free as spring training approaches.

The three-time American League MVP was sidelined between July 12 and Aug. 19 last year by an injury to his upper back and ribcage.

Trout, 31, is the captain of the U.S. team in the World Baseball Classic and will report to spring training by Feb. 16.

"The back's been a nonissue for the past four months," Trout said. "I felt a little bit when I came back during the season last year and then I've been on top of it pretty well and just keeping the same routine in the weight room, just a warm-up, and making sure all the back muscles around it is strong."

Trevor Story had surgery on his throwing elbow and is expected to miss most, if not all, of the 2022 season.

The Boston Red Sox had planned to shift him across the infield to shortstop as the replacement for Xander Bogaerts, who left in free agency.

Chaim Bloom said Tuesday that Story underwent an internal bracing procedure on his right ulnar collateral ligament. The operation is less drastic than the full ulnar collateral ligament reconstruction known as Tommy John surgery, which usually leads to a year of rehab.

"I certainly would not rule out a return sometime during 2023," Bloom said. "But it's also not something at this stage we want to bank on."

Bloom said Story experienced pain in the elbow just before Christmas while "ramping up" to get ready for the season.

Fernando Tatis, Jr. has been cleared to begin baseball activities following shoulder surgery and a pair of wrist surgeries.

The San Diego Padres shortstop is right on schedule with his rehab work, though he is currently serving an 80-game performance-enhancing drug suspension and is ineligible to play until April 20.  

Tatis, 24, originally injured his left wrist in a motorcycle accident last offseason. He had surgery in March and a second surgery in October to further stabilize the wrist.

Between wrist surgeries, Tatis was suspended in August, and he had surgery on his troublesome left shoulder in September. The shoulder sidelined him multiple times earlier in this career.