Blue Jays closer B.J. Ryan has pulled himself out of the World Baseball Classic due to concerns about the current state of his mechanics. Ryan labored through his first two spring outings for Toronto and has decided that remaining in camp with his own club was the best way to sort through the issues.

Ryan was scheduled to pitch for the United States in an exhibition against the Blue Jays on Wednesday at Dunedin Stadium, but the left-hander will be replaced on Team USA’s roster. Ryan, who chose not to take part in the Classic in 2006 after just signing a long-term contract with Toronto, was looking forward to participating in the unique event this year.

“This was an especially tough decision because of the honor of playing for my country,” Ryan said in a statement released by Team USA. “But I feel it is the best interest of Team USA and the Toronto Blue Jays organization to not participate. I do not see it as being fair to my USA teammates, my Blue Jay teammates or myself to try to compete when my mechanics and delivery are not where they need to be in order to perform at the highest level.”

In his first two Grapefruit League appearances, Ryan allowed four runs on four hits with three walks and no strikeouts over one inning.

~JB