Insurance Issue Leaves Some Players Off World Baseball Classic Rosters

Francisco Lindor, Carlos Correa, and Jose Altuve were left off their countries’ rosters for the World Baseball Classic over insurance coverage.

Lindor and Correa were left off Puerto Rico roster. Altuve was not included in Venezuela’s roster because of insurance.

This year’s tournament runs from March 5-17 in Tokyo, Houston, San Juan, Puerto Rico, and Miami, where the final will be played for the second straight time. Seventy-eight Major League Baseball all-stars, including 36 from last year, are on the 30-man rosters of the 20 teams competing in the WBC.

Puerto Rico’s roster was impacted by insurance issues. The tournament is co-owned by Major League Baseball and the Major League Baseball Players Association, and insurance is brokered by National Financial Partners (NFP).

The policy for the tournament has a cutoff for a position player with a major or minor league contract whose second guaranteed year is in the season in which he turns 37, and for a pitcher whose fourth guaranteed year is in the season in which he turns 37, a person familiar with the policy said, speaking on condition of anonymity because the details had not been announced. The insurer also reviews players who had offseason surgery, the person said.

Insurance could also become an issue if major league players wind up being eligible for the 2028 Olympics.

Lindor, a 32-year-old shortstop who has a $341 million contract with the New York Mets through 2031, had a right elbow elbow debridement after last season.

Correa, a 31-year-old Houston Astros shortstop and third baseman with a $200 million contract through 2028, had surgery in 2014 to repair a broken right tibia and both San Francisco and the Mets failed to approve his physicals for a contract during the 2022-23 offseason.

Javy Báez, a 33-year-old Detroit Tigers infielder and outfielder, tested positive for marijuana on March 12, 2023, ruling him out of this WBC. According to the International Testing Agency, his international competition suspension runs through April 25. Marijuana was dropped as a drug of abuse from Major League Baseball’s testing agreement with the players’ association before the 2020 season and is not subject to discipline by MLB.

Altuve broke his right thumb when hit by a pitch during the 2023 tournament, causing him to miss the Astros’ first 43 games. He also had a medical procedure on his foot last November.

Clayton Kershaw and Miguel Cabrera missed the 2023 tournament because of insurance issues. Kershaw, who turns 38 two days after this year’s final, is the oldest player on this year’s U.S. roster but has retired from the major leagues and doesn’t have a 2026 contract.

Edwin Díaz will be back with Puerto Rico after tearing the patellar tendon in his right knee while celebrating a 2023 win over the Dominican Republic, an injury that caused him to miss the New York Mets entire season. He now plays for the Los Angeles Dodgers.

*Editors Note: The original story was edited to focus on the insurance angle.

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