TUCSON, Ariz.—Colorado outfielder Brad Hawpe will miss the World Baseball Classic because of a left finger injury.
Hawpe had four stitches on his pinkie finger after being spiked in the first inning against the Los Angeles Angels on Friday. He was accidentally stepped on while running back into second base in the first inning against the Angels. There is no damage to ligaments or tendons.
“I got hit in the meat of my finger,” Hawpe said Saturday. “It’s going to be OK.”
Hawpe, a career .282 hitter with 88 homers and 341 RBI in his four major league seasons, was supposed to join the USA Team this week. He is expected to participate in baseball activities within a week.
“I would have loved to have been there, but the worst-case scenario is that here I am in a major league clubhouse still. That means a lot to me,” Hawpe said. “I’ll be getting the stitches out in about a week and start easing into it again.”
