HOUSTON — After conversations with Houston Astros owner Jim Crane regarding his participation and the inability to receive insurance on his contract, Carlos Correa will not play for Team Puerto Rico in the World Baseball Classic, he told The Athletic on Tuesday morning.
Without that coverage, Correa said he would risk forfeiting his regular-season salary if he misses any games due to injuries sustained in the World Baseball Classic.
Correa, who is set to make $31 million next season, has an extensive injury history that ostensibly made his contract more difficult to insure.
“I’m definitely upset because I’ve been preparing really hard this offseason to get better this year and be ready early so I can be ready for the WBC,” said Correa, who added he had already begun facing live pitching in preparation to play for Team Puerto Rico.
“I also understand the business side of things and that’s too big of a risk to take, to play with no insurance.”
All World Baseball Classic participants on MLB 40-man rosters are evaluated by an insurer who was agreed upon by MLB and the players union. As the Los Angeles Times noted in 2023, if the insurer finds a player to be uninsurable due to their injury history, the player’s contract would not be guaranteed for any missed time due to injuries sustained during the WBC unless a team specifically agrees to do so.
Both Clayton Kershaw and Miguel Cabrera were deemed uninsurable ahead of the 2023 tournament. The former Dodgers lefty did not participate while Cabrera did, likely because the Tigers chose to guarantee their future Hall of Famer’s contract against any possible injuries resulting from the WBC.
Crane is involved in the participation decisions of multiple Astros players, according to league sources. Second baseman Jose Altuve will not play for Team Venezuela in the tournament, a decision first described by MLB.com on Monday as one that came “at the request” of the Astros.
Correa said he spoke to Crane on Tuesday morning, during which he learned of the lack of insurance.
“Jim called me and told me that he wants me to focus on the team and spring training, obviously he traded for me to win a championship here and we had too many injuries as a team (in 2025),” Correa said.
Altuve’s absence is also due to insurance issues, according to a league source. During the Astros annual FanFest on Saturday, Team Venezuela manager Omar López acknowledged it has been more difficult to get players insured for the upcoming tournament.
“Unfortunately, a lot of players were hurt or for some reason went to the IL in the previous season and automatically, they’re getting into what they call ‘chronic’ injuries,” said López, who is also the Astros bench coach.
“After that, they have to wait for the protocols to get approval by the insurance. So at this point, we’re waiting on a lot of them, especially on Jose, too. Waiting on approval to be able to play.”
Altuve underwent a minor offseason procedure on his right foot, but deemed himself “100 percent healthy” on Saturday. He did spend any time on the injured list last season.
Altuve did fracture his right thumb after being hit by a pitch during the 2023 World Baseball Classic. The injury sidelined him until mid-May and limited him to 90 regular-season games.
On Saturday, both Correa and Altuve expressed a desire to play in the tournament, though Correa acknowledged there were “logistics” to clear before he could officially commit.
Altuve echoed Correa’s sentiments and said he “absolutely” wanted to play for Team Venezuela if he received the necessary approval.
“I signed the paper that I’m willing to go and play like I did for in the last two WBCs,” Altuve said on Saturday. “It’s always an honor to represent my country. I played in the last one and the one before and I’m trying to do it in this one. I don’t know what’s going on behind the scenes, but it seems like this year it’s not up to me.”
Before Opening Day in 2023, which Altuve missed due to his thumb injury, Crane called the World Baseball Classic “good for the game” and “great for baseball to get that global attention.”
“What’s nice is (players) do respect their countries and they want to play for their countries,” Crane said in 2023. “The guys enjoy it. It’s unfortunate we lost Jose, hopefully he won’t be out too long. That’s part of the risk. I think baseball tries to de-risk it a little bit with insuring them 100 percent, but certainly that doesn’t replace our second baseman.”
Now, Crane’s players are taking the most risk-averse route possible. Their decisions come against this fascinating backdrop — Daikin Park will host both pool play and a quarterfinal round of the World Baseball Classic in March.
Should Team Puerto Rico advance out of Pool A, its quarterfinal game would be held in Houston — the city in which Correa has made his name as a major leaguer and, in all likelihood, will end his career, a full-circle moment Correa won’t be able to complete.