While Team USA and the Dominican Republic appear to be the early favorites to win the 2026 World Baseball Classic (WBC), Puerto Rico also looked to be loaded with All-Star talent. However, insurance issues are preventing some of the territory's biggest stars from being approved to compete in the highly anticipated tournament.
Ridiculous insurance issues keep former and current Twins, including Carlos Correa and José Berríos, off Puerto Rico’s WBC roster
Notable former Twins who have been denied insurance coverage to play for Team Puerto Rico include Correa, Berríos and Emilio Pagán, according to ESPN's Alden Gonzalez. Twins catcher Victor Caratini has also been denied coverage. Even more notably, future Hall of Fame shortstop Francisco Lindor was denied coverage as well.
Because of these ridiculous insurance issues, Team Puerto Rico's operations manager Joey Sala has threatened to withdraw the team from the tournament, despite the US territory hosting Pool A, which includes Cuba, Canada, Panama and Colombia, at Hiram Bithorn Stadium in San Juan from March 6 to 11. Since Puerto Rico has a much smaller population than the larger countries competing in the tournament, the territory would have a much tougher time replacing its stars than its competitors.
However, some good news recently emerged regarding Puerto Rico's unfortunate situation. According to El Vocero's Gabriel Quiles, the president of the territory's federation, Dr. Jose Quiles, is optimistic that some of the players' denials will be overturned before Tuesday's deadline.
MLB would be making huge mistake if they don't cover denied Puerto Rican players' insurance for 2026 WBC
Technically, denied insurance doesn't disqualify a player from participating in the WBC. But if an uninsured player gets hurt during the tournament, their MLB team is left paying a salary without insurance.
The Puerto Rico Baseball Federation is looking for private insurance alternatives, per Gabriel Quiles. Additionally, the Players Association and MLB, co-owners of the WBC, are attempting to get insurers to change their decisions, per The Athletic. If the insurers are unwilling to do that, MLB should step in and insure the players for their teams. It's unfair to put that pressure on players' teams, but MLB certainly has the power and financial resources to offer clubs insurance for players who have been denied coverage.
If the WBC has every team at full strength, MLB reaps the benefits. Sure, by letting players who were denied coverage play in the tournament and offering teams insurance, MLB will lose some money if someone suffers an injury. However, insuring those players would still likely be a good investment for MLB, as the tournament would then generate more revenue and build more excitement for the 2026 season.