MESA, Ariz. - As for John Axford pitching in the World Baseball Classic, never mind.

The reliever was the latest A’s player to pull out of the WBC, and it came a day after he spoke about the glory of wearing “Canada” across his chest.

“Personal and professional reasons,” said Axford, who wouldn’t explain the personal reasons. “I’m here with the team I’m going to be with for the next seven months, hopefully longer with playoffs. That’s plenty of professional reason not to leave for a week-plus.

“We’re gelling and coming together as a team. That’s something you want to be a part of in spring training. It’s tough when you’ve got a lot of guys here trying to keep that focus or get a team feel, and it’s even harder when you leave.”

Axford told reporters Thursday he was planning to pitch for Team Canada, but he said Friday it’s a decision he has weighed for a while. He said he’s physically fine and added the timing wasn’t right.

“I have a maple leaf tattooed on my body,” Axford said. “I am very proud to be Canadian. I go back in the offseason. I still live in Canada. I truly love being a Canadian, and I love putting on the uniform (he appeared in the 2012 WBC).

“What I’m looking forward to most is staying healthy and continuing my career and being able to do it again at some other point in time.”

Other A’s to pull out of the WBC included Sonny Gray, Khris Davis and Liam Hendriks. It would be no stunner if reliever Santiago Casilla blew off the WBC, too, considering he’s not in A’s camp yet.

Manager Bob Melvin said Casilla will fly to Arizona Saturday and be in camp Sunday.

“I said on Day 1 that typically some guys ended up backing out,” Melvin said. “Great intentions. You want to play for your country. But when you get here, depending on how you feel, other things come into play.”

With all the players dropping out, Melvin was asked if there’s a better time of year for the WBC. Such as after the World Series.

“You’d have a tough time getting anybody to go then, I think, especially after a long season. Teams that aren’t in the postseason, their guys will have to continue to stay ready, that would be more difficult,” Melvin said.

Casilla, who won three World Series rings with the Giants, signed a two-year, $11 million contract with the A’s. For now, he’s one of several A’s setup men.

How much will Casilla be pushed when he arrives? “It depends on what his decision is for the WBC,” Melvin said. “If he’s not going, we’ll probably slow-play him a little bit as far as bullpens and throwing to hitters and getting him into games. We still have plenty of time in spring. If he is going to the WBC, we’ll take a different route.”

At this point, it would appear doubtful Casilla would pitch in the WBC, but Melvin’s not totally ruling it out.

“We’ve supported him,” Melvin said. “The timing has thrown a little bit of a wrench in it. Until he gets here and we talk about it, I think our stance remains the same.”

In other news, pitching coach Curt Young will undergo a neck procedure Friday and miss a few days.

John Shea is The San Francisco Chronicle’s national baseball writer. Email: jshea@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @JohnSheaHey