The Canadian national team added heralded pitching prospect Jameson Taillon, veteran right-hander Scott Richmond, left-hander Mark Hardy and outfielder Rene Tosoni to its roster for the World Baseball Classic on Thursday, but they’ll have to do without Ryan Dempster as they await word on Joey Votto.

Baseball Canada and Votto continue to work through insurance coverage issues that aren’t expected to prevent the Cincinnati Reds first baseman’s participation in the March tournament, while Dempster has been officially ruled out after he said Saturday he needed more time to decide if his body will be up for the task, particularly after the right-hander signed a $26.5 million, two-year contract with the Boston Red Sox.

The Canadians now have one roster spot remaining before hitting the limit of 28.

In the interim, director of national teams Greg Hamilton bolstered his pitching staff with Taillon, a 6-6 righty chosen second overall by the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2010. Though the 21-year-old was born in Winter Haven, Fla., and raised in Texas, his father is from St. Andrew, Ont., and his mother from Toronto, making him eligible for Canada.

Taillon spent most of the 2012 season pitching at single-A Bradenton, where he went 6-8 with a 3.82 ERA and 1.168 WHIP over 23 outings, but he also made three starts for double-A Altoona, posting a 3-0 mark with a 1.59 ERA, 0.706 WHIP and 18 strikeouts over 17 innings.

Richmond, 33, will pitch for the Lotte Giants in South Korea this season after six years in the Blue Jays system. He appeared in three big-league games last year and returns to the World Baseball Classic for the second time, even though he didn’t get to pitch in the 2009 event.

That year the national team was saving Richmond to start an expected do-or-die game against Venezuela but instead was eliminated early following an upset loss to Italy.

Tosoni, 26, signed a minor-league deal with the Milwaukee Brewers earlier this month after spending six years in the Minnesota Twins organization. A speedy outfielder, Tosoni gives the club depth beyond the current four of Mike Saunders, Adam Loewen, Tyson Gillies and Tim Smith.

Hardy, 24, finished 2012 with the double-A San Antonio Missions under manager John Gibbons in the San Diego Padres system. In 70.2 innings across four minor-league levels in 2012, the 24-year-old, Campbell, B.C. native posted a 4.71 ERA and 1.567 WHIP while averaging 8.7 K/9 and 2.2 BB/9.

Baseball Canada named 23 players to its roster Saturday, including John Axford, Russell Martin, Jimmy Henderson, Jesse Crain and Philippe Aumont. Justin Morneau and Brett Lawrie were named to the club back in December.

Eight #bluejays in WBC: Lawrie, Loewen (CAN); Reyes, Cabrera, Encarnacion, Rogers (DR); Dickey, Arencibia (USA). Bautista was denied.

— Mike Cormack (@MikeCormack) January 17, 2013