Yuki Matsui

San Diego Padres left-hander Yuki Matsui (groin) has officially been ruled out for next month's World Baseball Classic with Team Japan, according to AJ Cassavell of MLB.com. Matsui is recovering from a left-groin strain that he suffered in a recent live batting practice session in camp with the Padres. He has resumed playing catch, but he hasn't thrown off a mound, and his status for Opening Day in late March is also in question. In his two seasons in San Diego since coming over from Japan, Matsui has a 3.86 ERA in 125 appearances out of the bullpen. He resides in one of the best bullpens in baseball, but as more of a middle-inning arm, he has limited fantasy value. "Right now, I'm just continuing the throwing progression, getting intensities and distances of [playing] catch back up," Matsui said. "Once it's good enough, then I'll start throwing off the mound. But as to when, we don't know yet. We're not sure yet [about Opening Day]."