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Red Sox won't let Rodriguez pitch in WBC after tweaking knee

Jeff Griffith / USA TODAY Sports

The Boston Red Sox are being extra cautious with the health of Eduardo Rodriguez after the right-hander tweaked his right knee while pitching in winter ball last month.

While the club does not believe the injury to be serious, manager John Farrell said Thursday that Rodriguez won't pitch for Venezuela at the World Baseball Classic next month, according to Brian MacPherson of the Providence Journal.

Rodriguez was limited to 107 innings in 2016 after suffering a knee injury in March. He wouldn't throw his first pitch in the majors until May, and was eventually optioned to the minors briefly after posting a 8.59 ERA over six starts. Rodriguez would bounce back to finish the year 3-7 with a 4.71 ERA and 1.29 WHIP across 20 starts.

The 23-year-old will head into spring training vying for a spot in the rotation. With Chris Sale, Rick Porcello, and David Price already locked in, the Red Sox will have Rodriguez, Steven Wright, and Drew Pomeranz competing for the final two spots.

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