Baseball Twitter reacts to Clayton Kershaw removing himself from the World Baseball Classic: "MLB needs to fix this" "USA is cooked"

Clayton Kershaw is the latest star to remove himself from the World Baseball Classic. Kershaw was slated to headline Team USA's pitching rotation but couldn't secure an insurance claim for the event. The lefty, who reported to spring training healthy, has a lengthy injury history.

Kershaw has never pitched in the tournament. This would have been his first appearance in the WBC. It's unfortunate as it leaves Team USA a starting pitcher short, with not much time to find another arm.

As it stands, Team USA's starting pitching rotation includes Adam Wainwright, Lance Lynn, Miles Mikolas, Brady Singer and Merrill Kelly. This isn't the most star-studded rotation, but it's a capable one.

Losing Clayton Kershaw stings, but there's nothing the team can do. They must move on without him and hope they have enough talent to make a deep run.

Fans mentioned that they're tired of players committing just to decommit later down the road. It's frustrating for fans who just want to see the best players in the world compete in the World Baseball Classic.

Team USA fans are worried the pitching rotation won't make it through the tournament now that Clayton Kershaw has pulled out. The rotation isn't as bad as they're making it out to be. Lance Lynn and Merrill Kelly are going to shock quite a few when the tournament starts.

Without Clayton Kershaw, Team USA will have to dig deeper to repeat as World Baseball Classic champion

Nothing worth it is ever easy, and that's especially the case with this tournament. The talent level spread across the tournament is incredible. Every team has the talent level to make a deep run.

Team USA won the last tournament that was held in 2017. To repeat, they'll likely be carried by Mike Trout and the team's offense. Guys like Paul Goldschmidt and Mookie Betts will have to be on top of their games.

If Team USA can consistently push runs across the board, they can hang with anybody. Their biggest question will come with their pitching staff.

If you're a baseball fan, this World Baseball Classic is going to be something that you won't want to miss. It's the perfect way to start the baseball season.

About the author

Jared "Bloomy" Bloom is a journalist covering Major League Baseball at Sportskeeda and a former college baseball pitcher from Illinois, who just graduated with a Master's degree in Sport Psychology.

A writer with over 3 years of experience, Jared is consistently more concerned with quality than quantity, thoroughly checking multiple sources of information, and prides himself in being knowledgeable not just about MLB, but the game of baseball in general. He loves breaking down plays and game-changing moments, as well as looking closer into players' statistics.

Jared is a die-hard Chicago White Sox fan, and one of his earliest memories is seeing his great-grandfather, a huge Sox fan, in his rocking chair watching a game. Jared started playing from the age of 5 with his grandfather coaching him early on.

Jared loved Tim Lincecum for his quirky delivery and looked up to him as a role model when playing. His current favorite is Phillies star Bryce Harper, an exciting player who doesn't let injuries hold him back. Jared's favorite sports moment is Mark Buehrle's opening day between-the-legs glove flip to first base in 2010.

When he is not watching or writing about baseball, Jared can be found racing BMX at his local Rockford BMX track or coaching his local youth travel baseball team.

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