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Longoria Heeds Call, Headed To Team USA

The Associated Press

Evan Longoria is headed to Southern California to replace the injured Chipper Jones for Team USA.

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By MARC LANCASTER | The Tampa Tribune

Published: March 19, 2009

Updated: 03/20/2009 02:16 am

PORT CHARLOTTE - Everything always seems to work out for Evan Longoria.

After spending most of the week hoping for a call from USA Baseball to step in as an injury replacement for the final round of the World Baseball Classic, Longoria finally got it Thursday night. The Rays' third baseman is headed to Los Angeles – his hometown, conveniently enough – to join Team USA.

Longoria likely will fly to California on Friday ahead of the U.S.'s semifinal game Sunday night at Dodger Stadium. He had been scheduled to start at third base and bat third for Tampa Bay in a Grapefruit League game against the Blue Jays in Dunedin, but that can wait. Instead he'll step in for the injured Chipper Jones on a U.S. squad that has been decimated by bumps and bruises.

"We're obviously disappointed to lose a player the caliber of Chipper Jones, but at the same time so very fortunate to add a player as talented as Evan Longoria," USA Baseball executive director and CEO Paul Seiler said in a statement. "With the opportunity to make a roster change, Evan is too valuable not to have on our club."

He could end up playing the field, as the remaining third baseman, David Wright, cracked a toenail when he fouled a ball off his foot Wednesday night and played the duration of the game in pain. Longoria was scratched from the Rays' lineup Wednesday and sent home, suffering from flu-like symptoms that have been sweeping through the clubhouse lately, but he felt better Thursday morning and played in the Rays' loss to St. Louis in the afternoon.

All the while, Longoria was hoping his cell phone would ring, and he was ready to wait until the last possible minute if necessary.

"We're far enough along in our camp and I'm in good enough shape now that if they asked me to go tomorrow at some point I'd probably still be ready, barring the club saying they're not going to let me go," Longoria said.

That wasn't an issue, and several hours later Longoria got the word he had been awaiting.

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