PORT CHARLOTTE (DA) — Team Netherlands manager Andruw Jones said the club was left disappointed by Jurickson Profar’s sudden exit shortly before Tuesday’s game, but made clear the team is already focused on moving forward without the Curaçao native.
“I heard of it 10 minutes before we started the game,” Jones said. “On our side, it was disappointing because we were counting highly on him to be a part of this team for this tournament.”
Jones said the news hit just before first pitch, forcing an immediate adjustment for a roster that had expected Profar to play a major role in the World Baseball Classic.
“This is a grown-man business,” Jones said. “He’s not a kid, and everybody knows the rules. They know how many tests they’re doing, what you can take and what you cannot take.”
Jones added that he did not get a chance to speak with Profar after the news broke.
“So, after that, I can’t tell you what he’s done or not,” Jones said. “I didn’t get a chance to talk to him because he left right away.”
Even with the abrupt loss, Jones said his message inside the clubhouse was direct: reset and keep going.
“I told the team, we’re very disappointed — they are disappointed about it — but we have to move on,” Jones said. “We’re going to treat it as he got hurt. Somebody else step up.”
Jones also made clear that Team Netherlands is not lowering its ambitions despite losing one of its expected top bats.
“Our goal is to win this tournament,” Jones said. “And we’re not going to change.”