Overview
- MLB’s rule that 40-man roster players carry insurance for WBC injuries has sidelined Francisco Lindor, Carlos Correa, Jose Berrios, Emilio Pagan, Jose Altuve and Venezuela’s Miguel Rojas.
- The MLBPA said Lindor and Altuve are ineligible due to insurance constraints, noting Lindor will still participate fully in spring training after an elbow procedure.
- Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said Shohei Ohtani will not pitch and will serve as Japan’s designated hitter by his own choice, adding the Dodgers would have supported him if he opted to pitch.
- Rojas publicly criticized the pattern of denials after he was ruled out, with age and recent injuries cited as factors under the opaque underwriting process.
- Federations are making late roster adjustments for the March 5–17 tournament, with reports indicating Team USA and Japan have faced fewer insurance denials to date.