Miguel Rojas introduced final week that he can be unable to take part within the World Baseball Traditional due to points acquiring insurance coverage on his MLB contract.
And through the Dodgers’ annual Fanfest occasion on Saturday, the Venezuelan infielder didn’t conceal his frustration with the state of affairs.
“Positively dissatisfied,” mentioned Rojas, who has by no means earlier than performed within the WBC and is ready to retire after this season. “I didn’t know that my likelihood to go signify my nation for the primary and solely time, in all probability as a participant, was gonna get blocked due to an insurance coverage drawback. Despite the fact that we all know we’ve to be prepared for the season and we’ve to play and be wholesome for our contract, on the finish of the day, we didn’t know all these restrictions have been gonna be in place the way in which they’re proper now.”
Certainly, Rojas is much from the one participant to come across insurance coverage issues associated to this spring’s WBC.
Staff Puerto Rico has had a number of key gamers who have been pressured to withdraw –– together with Francisco Lindor, Carlos Correa, José Berrios and Emilio Pagan –– main the president of its baseball federation to publicly float the concept the nation would possibly withdraw from the triannual event solely.
Venezuela has additionally been considerably impacted, with José Altuve and Carlos Narvaez unable to take part as a consequence of their very own insurance coverage points.
There are a number of different MLB gamers believed to be awaiting insurance coverage clearance, too.
“There’s a variety of issues I can say concerning the course of, and I’ve been actually vocal on social media, particularly the final couple days,” Rojas mentioned. “I don’t suppose individuals perceive.”
MLB Photographs through Getty Photos
Insurance coverage necessities have lengthy been a complication for gamers concerned about enjoying within the WBC. The insurance policies are typically essential for MLB members, to be able to shield their big-league groups towards potential accidents incurred through the occasion (with insurance coverage, groups are reimbursed for any regular-season time their gamers miss with WBC-related accidents).
Usually, gamers with persistent harm histories or latest surgical procedures are denied protection. Clayton Kershaw, for instance, needed to withdraw from the 2023 WBC for insurance coverage causes.
This yr, nevertheless, the rising variety of gamers who’ve encountered such points has change into a supply of frustration –– particularly, as Rojas famous, since Latin American nations have been those most affected.
“I don’t see that occuring with america, or occurring with Japan,” Rojas mentioned. “And I’m not making an attempt to assault anyone, or assault what’s happening, or seeing what’s occurring behind the scenes. However on the finish of the day, it feels prefer it’s simply occurring with the gamers that wish to signify their nation from Latin America. So there’s a variety of issues I want to speak about with somebody in management, with somebody from MLB.”
Rojas, who has handled a number of accidents over the previous couple of years (together with a hernia surgical procedure final offseason) however didn’t spend any time on the injured listing in 2025, was additionally caught off guard by what ESPN reported is a brand new provision for insurance coverage protection on this yr’s occasion.
As a result of he’ll flip 37 earlier than the beginning of the event, he mentioned he was denied protection based mostly on his age alone.
“It’s actually arduous to not have the chance to place my nation on my chest and to signify them and assist win a World Baseball Traditional –– and never have the chance to do it as a result of I’m 37 years previous,” he mentioned. “That’s not proper. I don’t really feel it’s proper. As a result of if I can nonetheless play within the large leagues with the Dodgers, why (can I) not go play for my workforce in Venezuela and signify my nation?”
