Lindor to Miss WBC After Insurance Denial

Francisco Lindor will not play in the World Baseball Classic next month, as efforts to get him and other members of Team Puerto Rico insured have failed, according to Metsmerized’s own Mike Mayer.

Lindor had planned to play in the tournament, which takes place every three years, since last year. The shortstop was going to captain Puerto Rico, which is set to host WBC games for the first time since 2013.

However, reports surfaced last week that Lindor was denied insurance for the tournament after having a cleanup procedure on his right elbow at the conclusion of the 2025 season. Carlos Correa and Javier Báez were unable to secure insurance to play for Team Puerto Rico as well.

Other players hoping to play at the WBC but who faced insurance denials were Jose Berrios, Victor Carantini and Miguel Rojas.

Clayton Kershaw was denied insurance for the 2023 WBC, but because he is retired, he no longer needs be covered and can play in 2026. Also, Shohei Ohtani, after undergoing major elbow surgery in 2023, won’t be a two-way player for Team Japan, which is how he was able to secure insurance.

National Financial Partners, which handles the insurance, looks at each player on a case-by-case basis. But it has denied insurance to players who have had surgeries since the end of the 2025 season, spent at least 60 days on the injured list last season, or undergone two surgeries in their career. It also takes a player’s salary into account, and Lindor has six years and $204 million left on his deal.

The insurance restrictions were stiffened for this tournament after the 2023 WBC saw Edwin Díaz tear his patellar tendon in his right knee while celebrating and Jose Altuve suffer a thumb fracture when he was hit by a pitch. Díaz missed the 2023 MLB season, and Altuve missed nearly two months.

Team Puerto Rico threatened to back out of the WBC over the insurance denials last week, but sources told Jake Mintz of Yahoo Sports that they will play.

The rosters of all 20 WBC teams will be announced Thursday at 7 p.m. ET on MLB Network.

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