PEORIA, Ariz. — Adrian Beltre wants a few more days to decide whether to defy the Mariners and play in the World Baseball Classic.

The Gold Glove third baseman said Wednesday the Dominican Republic's WBC team understands it will have to wait to know whether he will play in the tournament, as planned. Beltre wants to test his surgically repaired shoulder in a couple of spring-training games first.

The initial test will come Thursday against the San Diego Padres, according to Mariners manager Don Wakamatsu.

Beltre said he's talked to former major leaguer Stan Javier, the general manager of the Dominican team, and that Javier is fine with waiting.

"I haven't played. It's different to use in games than (in practice)," Beltre said before he sat out Wednesday's charity exhibition against San Diego.

Beltre is on the final WBC roster, but he said that means nothing because the Dominican team can replace him on its roster anytime before it begins play on March 7 in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Beltre would have to leave camp by March 1 to be on time for the start of the Dominican Republic's training.

This week the Mariners told him they don't want him to play. They fear he is not fully recovered from surgeries last September to repair a ligament in his left thumb and remove bone spurs from his left, non-throwing shoulder.

"Our dialogue right now is, I don't want him to jeopardize anything," Wakamatsu said. "He seems to feel he can't judge that unless he gets in there (in a game).

"He feels he's farther along that we've anticipated."

Seattle's team doctor estimated Beltre would need four months to rehabilitate. That time frame ended six weeks ago, and the hand seems fine. But last week, Beltre was getting treatment on his achy shoulder.

Beltre, who is beloved in the Mariners' clubhouse for playing through injuries, knows how bad it would look to defy his employer that is paying him $12 million in the final year of his contract — and then get injured.

"Since they told me they didn't want me to play I don't want to go over there and get hurt and hear 'I told you so.' I don't want to hear that," Beltre said. "But I still probably have the same chance to get hurt here as I do there. It (would be) just a matter of bad luck.

"And I might play DH over there, so it might even be easier on my shoulder."

Beltre disputes the idea that playing in the high-profile WBC would be a timely showcase for the free agency for which he will be eligible at the end of this season.

"No, to the contrary. Because it's my free-agent year I shouldn't go, because I don't want to risk anything," he said.

"My main concern is my health and being able to do everything normally and not risk anything. I don't want to go (back to Seattle) and not be able to play full-throttle. I want to be OK."

Wakamatsu said he is getting Beltre into a game perhaps sooner than he would have without the WBC decision looming. The manager hasn't decided if Beltre will be the designated hitter or the third baseman on Thursday.

"His career (is) number one. Number two, he has a lot of pride in his country," Wakamatsu said. "And it's for us, the Seattle Mariners.

"I've told him, 'You've got to tell me how it feels.'"