New York.– Jose Reyes returned to the New York Mets' spring training complex on Thursday disappointed by the Dominican Republic's early exit from the World Baseball Classic. The shortstop settled back into his locker inside the Mets clubhouse and took some jibes from teammates.

"It's disappointing with the great team we had to play just three games and lose in the first round, but it's great to me because now I have time to come here and work and get ready for the (MLB) season with my teammates," Reyes said.

The Dominican Republic was a favorite to win its first-ground group but was eliminated on Tuesday with a second loss to the Netherlands. "Baseball is crazy sometimes," Reyes said. "It's hard to win a game when you don't get a big hit with runners in scoring position. ... We had very good pitching. We just weren't able to hit."

Outfielder Fernando Tatis, who played first base for the Dominican Republic in game 1, also rejoined the Mets on Thursday. "I don't want to call back home," Tatis said. "We are all over the place. People are very disappointed, and it's not the right time now to talk to the Dominicans."