With spring training in motion, it’s time to rejoice for baseball fans. But before fans get to see their beloved players take the field during the regular season, World Baseball Classic is here to entertain. The WBC is set to star players from all of MLB but there is one player who sadly won’t be making it to his team this year – Vladimir Guerrero Jr.

The 23-year-old is suffering from knee strain and even pulled out of a game a few days ago. The injury will affect Guerrero’s chances at WBC, so it’s probably for the best that he withdrew. And even though he was disappointed, the young Blue Jays star hasn’t given up hope just yet. He believes everything happens for a reason.

Vladimir Guerrero Jr. takes inspiration from his baseball-involved family

In addition to his skills, one reason that the Blue Jays DH is exceptionally famous is because of his family. Vladimir Guerrero Sr. is an MLB icon as well as a Hall of Famer for his legendary career as Vlad the Impaler. Guerrero Sr.’s brother, Wilton Guerrero, is also a former pro baseballer and the youngest Guerrero is all about taking the elders’ advice in this tough situation.

“When you have a father and an uncle who played ball, you go to them and they tell you that things happen for a good reason,” the 23-year-old told Luis Murphy. He continued, “I am a great believer in God and if this happened it is because He had it in his mind. It is a difficult thing to accept, one is a human being, one has to take what comes.”

Guerrero Jr. lost sleep over the fear of disappointing his team

A dedicated player through and through, the first baseman didn’t want to let his team down. Hector Gomez reported Guerrero Jr. saying, “I lasted a sleepless night before making the decision to call Nelson Cruz. I spent a whole day and a sleepless night thinking about that, what was I going to say, what decision to make.” But ultimately, things worked out with the team.

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Now Jeimer Candelario is set to replace Guerrero, who will rest his inflamed knee for the time being. Fans are disappointed, but at least they’ll get to see their favorite player during the regular season, hopefully healthy!

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