Jackson Chourio out of Venezuela’s World Baseball Classic lineup with hand injury

When Team Venezuela does battle in the World Baseball Classic, they’ll be expecting Milwaukee Brewers outfielder Jackson Chourio to help lead the charge offensively. However, they won’t be the case for their matchup against Netherlands on Friday.

Chourio is out of the lineup after getting hit by a pitch on Wednesday, via Daniel Alvarez-Montes of El Extrabase. X-rays did come back negative, and he is available to pinch run or play defense.

As Venezuela continues through the WBC, they’ll be keeping a close eye on the outfielder. The fact that he is able to come off the bench is at least a good sign he isn’t dealing with a long-term injury. Still, the team wants him to be fully healthy before inserting him back into the lineup.

When Chourio does make his full return, it’ll be a massive boost for Team Venezuela. Over his two years with the Brewers, he has hit .272 with 42 home runs, 157 RBIs and 43 stolen bases. He has nearly identical stats through his first two seasons, showing both his consistency and how crucial he is to the Brewers.

Team Venezuela is loaded with other stars in the lineup. Atlanta Braves outfielder Ronald Acuna Jr will lead the way. MLB names such as Luis Arraez, Wilyer Abreu, Maikel Garcia, Eugenio Suarez and many more will also be tasked with helping lead the team to glory.

Chourio will join them once he is fully healthy. When he does, Team Venezuela will look like a much scarier threat. They’ll try to make a statement by taking down Team Netherlands without him.

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