Sammy Sosa would like to represent the Dominican Republic in next year’s World Baseball Classic.

“That’s my wish,” he said on Wednesday during a telephone interview from Miami, “to put on my country’s uniform so people can see me playing again.”

The 39-year-old outfielder did not play in the 2006 inaugural Classic, in which the Dominican Republic reached the semifinals.

Sosa said he instructed his agent not to offer his services to any team.

“That doesn’t mean I’m retiring,” he said. “It’s not time for that yet.”

In his Major League career, Sosa has 609 homers and 1,667 RBIs from 1989-07 for the Texas Rangers, Chicago Cubs, Chicago White Sox and the Baltimore Orioles.