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The Netherlands advanced to their first semifinal of the 2013 World Baseball Classic, and their roster will be reinforced next week in San Francisco. The team already added shortstop Jurickson Profar of the Rangers, the number one prospect in baseball, and Dodgers relief pitcher Kenley Jansen will join the roster after receiving the necessary third party medical clearance, per Pedro Moura of the Orange County Register. Jansen will report to San Francisco on Sunday.
Earlier Thursday morning Jansen said he was '95 percent sure' he will join the roster as well, per both Ken Gurnick of MLB.com and Jon Morosi of Fox Sports.
Jansen played for The Netherlands in the 2009 WBC as a catcher, where he stood out with various throws from behind the plate despite just one hit in 13 at-bats during the tournament. The Netherlands advanced to the second round of the WBC in 2009.
"For me it's going to be easier because he's ready. For one, we see he's healthy coming off the surgery. He's been able to do all the stuff that we do here, participate in everything. I actually think it will be good for him. He'll get into competition," said manager Don Mattingly. "In spring, you can say all you want, there's just not the energy you get during the regular season or at bigger stadiums. And the fact that it's only a couple of days makes it easier."
Jansen had cardiac ablation surgery on Oct. 23 to correct an irregular heartbeat that sidelined him for parts of the last two seasons, but is apparently okay to pitch. Perhaps The Netherlands is more willing to accept the liability of a post-surgery pitcher for two games as opposed to potentially eight games, as was facing Team Mexico.
Javy Guerra had arthroscopic surgery on his right shoulder on Nov. 2, and was a late addition to the Mexico roster. But even though Guerra has been cleared to pitch for the Dodgers, he was declared ineligible for the WBC before the competition began.
The Netherlands was 2-1 in Pool 1 play, including a pair of wins over Cuba. They will play the winner of Pool 2 at AT&T Park in San Francisco on Monday at 6 p.m. PT, with the winner advancing to the final game on Tuesday at 5 p.m. PT.