After lots of discussion regarding insurance prior to the World Baseball Classic, MLB players appear to have avoided any major injuries.
Italy catcher Kyle Teel and Japan outfielder Seiya Suzuki are the only players with known injuries stemming from the tournament, but neither is expected to miss significant time.
Teel suffered a hamstring strain in Italy’s 8–6 win over the U.S. on March 10 and will miss four to six weeks for the White Sox. Suzuki has a sprained ligament in his right knee, but will not fully be shut down from baseball activities, with the Cubs unsure if he will need to go on the injured list.
The outcome is more favorable than that of the 2023 WBC, which saw Edwin Díaz and Jose Altuve suffer significant injuries. Díaz tore his right patellar tendon while celebrating a win against the Dominican Republic and missed the entire season. Altuve fractured his right thumb, causing him to miss the first 43 games of the regular season for the Astros.
The pair’s injuries reportedly made insurance more expensive for this year’s tournament, with National Financial Partners (NFP), the insurer for the WBC, declining to cover numerous stars as a result. Puerto Rico was the most impacted, with Francisco Lindor, Carlos Correa, and Jose Berríos ruled ineligible. Other players who faced similar issues included Mike Trout and Altuve.
NFP’s risk-averse behavior paid off, as they will be on the hook for significantly less money than in 2023. Teel is still pre-arbitration eligible, with a 2026 salary at or slightly above $760,000 (the league minimum), while Suzuki is scheduled to earn $18 million. Based on the pair’s timelines for return, the insurer would likely have to spend between $1 million and $2 million to cover their contracts. That total would decrease significantly if Suzuki is active on Opening Day.
For comparison, the insurer was forced to cover the entirety of Diaz’s $17.25 million Mets salary and a portion of the $26 million owed to Altuve, amounting to more than $20 million combined.
NFP declined a request for comment.
