Team Puerto Rico is reportedly considering not participating in the 2026 World Baseball Classic due to a struggle to receive medical insurance for multiple star players, per MLB insider Hector Gomez. While nothing is official yet, Carlos Correa and Francisco Lindor are among the players who are not participating because they were unable to acquire medical insurance for the tournament.
“BREAKING: Puerto Rico is considering pull out its national team from the World Baseball Classic due to the denial of medical insurance coverage for several of its players, including Francisco Lindor, Carlos Correa, José Berríos, Víctor Caratini, Yacksel Ríos, Jovani Morán, Emilio Pagán, and Alexis Díaz, among others,” Gomez wrote on X, formerly Twitter.
Receiving medical insurance for the tournament has proven to be an obstacle for teams in the past. However, the situation is impacting Team Puerto Rico in an undeniable manner this year.
Puerto Rico was expected to be a competitive team in the tournament this year. Playing without Lindor, Correa and others would have obviously been far from ideal, though. The World Baseball Classic needs to find a solution, as a Team Puerto Rico withdrawal would be an unfortunate situation to say the least.
The dilemma also raises questions about the future of players receiving medical coverage for the WBC. Many players take great pride in representing their countries, and medical insurance should not be a reason for them missing out on the opportunity to participate in the Classic.
MLBPA's statement on Francisco Lindor World Baseball Classic situation
Lindor had an elbow procedure earlier in the offseason which seemingly played a role in his ineligibility for the tournament. On Friday night, the MLBPA released a statement about the situation.
“Due to the cleanup procedure that Francisco Lindor had on his right elbow earlier this offseason, he will not be participating for team Puerto Rico in the 2026 World Baseball Classic. Francisco is obviously disappointed that he will be unable to participate. However, because of WBC insurance constraints, he is ineligible to play in WBC games. He will participate fully in all spring training activities.”
We will continue to monitor and provide updates on Team Puerto Rico's possible withdrawal from the World Baseball Classic. As of this story's writing, they have not made a final decision. Gomez's report suggests that the team not participating in the 2026 WBC is a realistic possibility, however.
