San Francisco Giants slugger Barry Bonds has pulled out of the upcoming World Baseball Classic, citing a concern of injury. On Monday, Bonds posted on his Web site that he has decided against the inaugural event after talking things over with his family and friends. "When my name was first announced for the WBC, my gut reaction was that I wanted to play," Bonds said in a statement. "After much thought and discussion with my family I have decided to remove myself from the upcoming World Baseball Classic roster. After the announcement I received a lot of criticism as well as concern from fans and my family and friends. The obvious objections were about my health and whether or not I would be ready to play. In the end, I decided that I can't take any chances that might jeopardize my season." He went on to say that he doesn't want to give the impression that the WBC is not an important event and that playing for Team USA would have been a great honor. "I feel what is best for me, my family, the Giants, and our fans is that I sit the WBC out," he added. Earlier this off-season, Bonds' agent Jeff Boris confirmed to the Oakland Tribune that his client would participate in the WBC. A troublesome right knee that required three separate surgical procedures last year, limited the 41-year-old Bonds to just 14 games and 42 at-bats in 2005. After finally returning to the Giants' lineup in September, Bonds belted five homers and drove in 10 runs while batting .286 (12-fo-42). The seven-time National League MVP enters the 2006 season with 708 home runs, just six shy of tying Babe Ruth for second place on baseball's all-time list.