Several MLB stars will not participate in the World Baseball Classic after being denied medical insurance coverage for the tournament.
National Financial Partners, which provides event insurance, evaluates players on a case-by-case basis but has reportedly tightened standards following high-profile injuries to Edwin Díaz and José Altuve during the 2023 WBC.
According to ESPN, the insurer is typically reluctant to cover players who were sidelined for 60 days or more in the previous MLB season, missed two of their team’s final three games due to injury, or underwent off-season surgery or multiple procedures in their careers. Coverage is also harder to secure for players nearing 37 years old, such as Dodgers infielder Miguel Rojas.
Standard policies cover two years of salary for position players and four years for pitchers. Players denied coverage can attempt to secure private insurance, play without coverage or opt out of the WBC altogether.
Mike Trout – USA
Mike Trout said Monday he will not join Team USA for the World Baseball Classic after failing to secure insurance on his contract. Without coverage, the 34-year-old would have risked his $35 million salary this season. Trout has been limited by injuries in recent years, playing 130 games in 2025 and a combined 140 games across the 2023 and 2024 seasons, factors that reportedly contributed to the insurance denial.
Carlos Correa – Puerto Rico
Carlos Correa confirmed in January that he would miss the WBC after being denied coverage through National Financial Partners. Correa revealed that Grammy Award-winning artist and Super Bowl halftime performer Bad Bunny offered to pay for his insurance so he could represent Puerto Rico, but Correa ultimately declined. The 31-year-old did not want to risk his $31 million salary next season if he were injured during the tournament. Correa has battled injuries in recent years, playing in only 84 games in 2024.
Francisco Lindor – Puerto Rico
Francisco Lindor was denied coverage due to a right elbow cleanup procedure he underwent following the 2025 MLB season. Lindor was expected to serve as Puerto Rico’s team captain, an honor he also held in the 2023 tournament. In early February, Lindor suffered a fractured hamate bone, an injury that would have sidelined him from WBC play regardless of insurance.
José Altuve – Venezuela
José Altuve will not play for Venezuela after being denied insurance coverage following an offseason procedure on his right foot. Altuve missed more than eight weeks of the 2023 MLB season after fracturing his thumb during the World Baseball Classic. Astros ownership reportedly requested that he not participate this year after coverage was denied. Altuve is set to earn $30 million this season.
Elly De La Cruz – Dominican Republic
Dominican Republic general manager Nelson Cruz said insurers refused to cover Cincinnati Reds shortstop Elly De La Cruz, preventing him from competing in the 2026 tournament. De La Cruz dealt with a partially torn quadriceps during the second half of the 2025 season, according to Reds president of baseball operations Nick Krall.
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