A new insurance provision for the 2026 World Baseball Classic has limited player participation across several national teams, making contract insurability central to tournament preparation.
Under the updated provision, player contracts cannot be insured after a player turns 37. Insurance coverage is required to protect major league teams from financial risk if a player is injured during the tournament. Although player contracts remain fully guaranteed, insurance shifts that financial exposure away from clubs.
Los Angeles Dodgers infielder Miguel Rojas became one of the most visible examples of how the provision affects roster decisions. Rojas, who turns 37 on Feb. 24, was denied insurance coverage and therefore could not receive approval to play for Venezuela. Rojas said the timing and structure of the rule prevented him from remaining available, even as a reserve option, during what he expects to be his final season.
Insurance approval has increasingly influenced roster construction ahead of the tournament. Several high-profile players have also been denied participation because their contracts were not insured. Those players include Venezuela’s Jose Altuve and Puerto Rico’s Francisco Lindor. Puerto Rico is also expected to be without Carlos Correa, Victor Caratini, Emilio Pagan, Jose Berrios, and Alexis Diaz.
As a result, Dr. Jose Quiles, president of the Puerto Rico Baseball Federation, publicly considered withdrawing Puerto Rico from the tournament. Puerto Rico is scheduled to host Pool A from March 6 to March 11 at Hiram Bithorn Stadium in San Juan.
Insurance for the World Baseball Classic is arranged by NFP, which has insured multiple iterations of the tournament through agreements with Major League Baseball and the MLB Players Association. The tournament itself pays the insurance policy. In prior tournaments, insurance coverage has directly affected club obligations. In 2023, for example, the New York Mets did not have to pay Edwin Diaz after he suffered a season-ending knee injury while representing Puerto Rico.
Players face varying levels of insurability based on injury classifications. According to sources familiar with the process, players are labeled as chronic, intermediate, or low risk. A player may be classified as chronic if they spent at least 60 days on the injured list the previous season, missed two of their team’s final three games due to injury, underwent surgery after the season, had more than one surgery during their career, or landed on the injured list on the final day of August.
Contract size also influences insurability. Despite Rojas being on a one-year, $5.5 million contract and not spending time on the injured list last season, his age alone disqualified his contract from coverage. The new provision states that once a player turns 37, their contract cannot be insured. If a player turns 37 midseason, coverage only applies through June.
Teams may still allow players to participate without insurance by assuming the risk themselves. The Detroit Tigers previously took that approach with Miguel Cabrera. It remains unclear whether the Dodgers will do the same for Rojas. With World Baseball Classic rosters due Tuesday and announcements scheduled for Thursday night, decisions must be made on a tight timeline.
Rojas said he received a HIPAA authorization form that would have allowed NFP to further review his medical history, but he received the request too late to pursue alternate solutions.
As preparations continue, insurance requirements remain a determining factor for player availability, shaping national rosters and influencing participation across the tournament.
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