Tim Hudson confirmed Wednesday that he has pulled out of the World Baseball Classic.

He is the second Braves pitcher to withdraw from the inaugural tournament because of health concerns. John Smoltz backed out two weeks ago.

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Braves third baseman Chipper Jones and outfielder Jeff Francoeur remain on the preliminary U.S. roster. Jones seems certain to make the team, and Francoeur's chance improved after the withdrawals of Barry Bonds and others.

Hudson spent a month on the disabled list with a strained side last summer, the third year he was hindered by a similar injury. He doesn't want to rush his throwing program to prepare for competitive innings in WBC games during the first week of March.

"I feel great; everything's awesome," he said after a bullpen session at Turner Field on Wednesday, the first day of the Braves' early throwing program. "It's an honor to represent your country, but as a pitcher it's harder to be where you need to be that early in March. I have to put what's best for my team first.

"I'm not 2-3 weeks ahead of schedule, like I should be if I was going to [the WBC]. Obviously I've dealt with some [injuries] the last couple of years, and my No. 1 concern is to not deal with that again. Nobody would have felt worse than me if I'd gone out and gotten hurt in the WBC and not been ready for the season."

Hudson praised Roger McDowell, who replaced longtime Braves pitching coach Leo Mazzone.

"He's a really personable guy, and it seems like he's going to get along great with everybody," Hudson said of McDowell, a former major league pitcher. "It's going to be a lot of fun to go down to the bullpen and get some work in for a change. . . .

"He knows what it takes to compete at this level. I think that's going to help us a lot."

Smoltz, McDowell communicate well

Smoltz said he feels strong and pain-free. He threw off the mound Wednesday for the first time since October. He also was encouraged by a discussion with McDowell, who demonstrated how to rely more on his lower body and put less stress on his arm.

"I've got a lot to learn," said Smoltz, 38, who returned to the rotation in 2005 after 3 1/2 seasons as the closer.

McDowell said he always admired Smoltz when their teams competed during McDowell's pitching career.

"When I was hired here, he was one of the first guys who called me," McDowell said. "John is someone who's readily available to talk to and the leader of the pitching staff. It means a lot to be able to communicate.

"It's nice to be able to come in and have the respect of the older guys on the pitching staff — John Smoltz, Tim Hudson, John Thomson. John Smoltz is the key. It's nice to have that support there."

Outfielders build muscle in offseason

During the offseason, Andruw Jones has added five pounds to 230, and Francoeur has beefed up from 217 to 225. The added weight looks like solid muscle on both players, who joined a few other Braves for an informal hitting session Wednesday at Turner Field.

"I lifted a lot of weights," said the center fielder, who was the National League MVP runner-up after leading the majors with 51 homers and the National League with 128 RBIs. "I got a little stronger, because it's a long season, especially for a guy like me who plays every day. I'm also going to lift some during the season, which I haven't done before."

Boyer works on rebabbing shoulder

Reliever Blaine Boyer didn't throw off the mound Wednesday, but his shoulder has improved and he believes he'll catch up with other Braves pitchers by the middle of spring training.

His rookie season was cut short by rotator-cuff inflammation that kept him off the playoff roster. Boyer spent the winter strengthening the shoulder and has been throwing off flat ground, increasing the distance from 60 to 75 feet Wednesday.

Wren on Reds' list for GM position

Braves assistant general manager Frank Wren was added to the list of candidates for the Cincinnati Reds' GM position. He's the eighth candidate and fourth from outside the Reds organization.