Jeff Hoffman, Tyler Rogers, José Berríos Named to WBC Designated Pitcher Pools

[Leo Morgenstern]

In addition to the arms on their official 30-man rosters, each country in the World Baseball Classic can name up to six pitchers to its Designated Pitcher Pool. These pitchers will be ready to serve as potential replacements in later rounds of the tournament.

According to MLB.com's Michael Clair, "Teams can replace up to four pitchers following the first round and then up to two pitchers after the quarterfinal. These players can replace one of up to four arms that the team had previously marked as a potential substitute."

Clair also published a list of all the known pitchers that have been included in their country's DPP. Team Canada was not included in the article, and it's unclear if that means Canada doesn't have a DPP or if it just hasn't been revealed yet. 

However, three notable Blue Jays names appeared on the DPP lists: Jeff Hoffman (USA), Tyler Rogers (USA), and José Berríos (Puerto Rico). They could join the 12 other Blue Jays expected to participate in the WBC.

Berríos was originally going to be on Puerto Rico's 30-man roster, but he was one of several players denied insurance coverage for the tournament. It isn't clear what his inclusion in the DPP means about his insurance status. 

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