Freddie Freeman and Team Canada are gearing up to represent their country in the World Baseball Classic. However, Canada will now enter the WBC without one of their top pitchers after being dealt a brutal injury blow.

Boston Red Sox' starter Nick Pivetta has pulled out of the World Baseball Classic due to an illness, via Jon Heyman of the New York Post. Pivetta and the Guardians' Cal Quantril were the only MLB pitchers on Team Canada's roster.

Nick Pivetta's 33 starts in 2022 tied for highest in the MLB. He pitched to a 10-12 record with a 4.56 ERA and a 175/73 K/BB ratio. Pivetta has made 158 appearances and 136 total starts over his six year big league career. He holds a career 5.02 ERA and a 784/291 K/BB ratio.

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While Pivetta has struggled with consistency throughout his career, he is still a vital pitcher to the Red Sox and was expected to fill a big role on Team Canada. Alongside being one of Canada's best starters, Pivetta is expected to enter the year as Boston's No. 3 starter behind Chris Sale and Corey Kluber.

While Canada will be losing a key pitcher, they still have some offensive firepower next to Freddie Freeman. He'll be joined by Guardians' catcher and top prospect Bo Naylor and Cardinals' outfielder Tyler O'Neil.

Still, the loss of Pivetta will be felt massively by Team Canada. His number may not have looked great on paper in 2022, but he was still one of the best pitchers Canada had to offer. They'll have to find a way to navigate the World Baseball Classic without Pivetta on the mound.