By RONALD BLUM AP Baseball Writer
NEW YORK (AP) — Francisco Lindor and Carlos Correa were left off Puerto Rico’s roster for the World Baseball Classic over insurance coverage and Javy Báez for a positive 2023 marijuana test, while defending champion Japan entered a top group Thursday led by World Series champions Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto.
Cy Young Award winners Paul Skenes and Tarik Skubal head what appears to be the strongest pitching staff the United States has had in the six editions of the tournament. American position players include AL MVP Aaron Judge, the U.S. captain, along with Bryce Harper and Bobby Witt Jr. Mike Trout, the 2023 U.S. captain, was left off.
Seventy-eight All-Stars, including 36 from last year, are on the 30-man rosters of the 20 teams. The U.S. has the most All-Stars with 22, followed by 16 on a Dominican Republic roster headed by Juan Soto, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Manny Machado.
Japan beat the U.S. 3-2 in the 2023 final for its third title and first since 2009 as Ohtani ended the game by striking out Trout. Ohtani will not pitch in this year’s WBC.
This year’s tournament runs from March 5-17 in Tokyo, Houston, San Juan, Puerto Rico, and Miami, where the final will be played for the second straight time. The Americans won in 2017 and the Dominican Republic in 2013.
Both reigning MVPs and Cy Young winners are in the tournament for the first time.
Nolan Arenado will play for Puerto Rico after appearing for the U.S. in 2017 and 2023.
Edwin Díaz will be back with Puerto Rico after tearing the patellar tendon in his right knee while celebrating a 2023 win over the Dominican Republic, an injury that caused him to miss the New York Mets entire season.
Puerto Rico’s roster was impacted by insurance issues. The tournament is co-owned by Major League Baseball and the Major League Baseball Players Association, and insurance is provided by National Financial Partners.
NFP’s policy for the tournament has a cutoff for a position player with a major or minor league contract whose second guaranteed year is in the season in which he turns 37 and for a pitcher whose fourth guaranteed year is in the season in which he turns 37, a person familiar with the policy said, speaking on condition of anonymity because the details had not been announced. The insurer also reviews players who had offseason surgery, the person said.
Insurance could become an issue if major league players wind up being eligible for the 2028 Olympics.
Lindor, a 32-year-old shortstop who has a $341 million contract with the New York Mets through 2031, had a right elbow elbow debridement after last season.
Correa, a 31-year-old Houston Astros shortstop and third baseman with a $200 million contract through 2028, had surgery in 2014 to repair a broken right tibia and both San Francisco and the Mets failed to approve his physicals for a contract during the 2022-23 offseason.
Báez, a 33-year-old Detroit Tigers infielder and outfielder, tested positive for marijuana on March 12, 2023, ruling him out of this WBC. According to the International Testing Agency, his international competition suspension runs through April 25. Marijuana was dropped as a drug of abuse from Major League Baseball’s testing agreement with the players’ association before the 2020 season and is not subject to discipline by MLB.
“We fully trust in the talent and commitment of each player that will be representing Puerto Rico,” Puerto Rican Baseball Federation president José Quiles said in a statement.
Clayton Kershaw and Miguel Cabrera missed the 2023 tournament because of insurance issues. Kershaw, who turns 38 two days after this year’s final, is the oldest player on this year’s U.S. roster but has retired from the major leagues and doesn’t have a 2026 contract.
Cuban infielder Alexei Ramírez is the oldest player on any roster at age 44. Right-hander Adam Ottavino, who turned 40 in November is on Italy’s roster.
Brazil’s Joseph Contreras, a 17-year-old right-hander who is a son of former big leaguer José Contreras, is the youngest player on any roster.
Travis Bazzana, a 23-year-old Australian second baseman, joined Skenes and Harper as No. 1 overall draft picks in the tournament,
Cuban outfielder Alfredo Despaigne, the WBC career home run leader with seven, will be in his fifth tournament.
There are 306 players with major and minor league contracts, including 190 on 40-man rosters. In addition to Ohtani, Judge, Harper and Kershaw, MVPs include Venezuela’s Ronald Acuña Jr. and the U.S.’s Paul Goldschmidt.
Second baseman Jose Altuve said last weekend the Astros asked him not to play for Venezuela. Altuve broke his right thumb when hit by a Daniel Bard pitch during the 2023 tournament, causing him to miss the Astros’ first 43 games.
Colombia has the oldest roster at 29.9 years, followed by the U.S. at 29.7. Taiwan has the youngest at 26.7, just below Brazil at 26.9.
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