Houston Astros stars Jose Altuve and Carlos Correa will not play in the World Baseball Classic after failing to get insurance on their contracts for the event.
Correa told The Athletic on Tuesday that he would not be able to play for Puerto Rico because his $31 million salary would be at risk if he were to be injured in the WBC, which runs March 5-17.
“That’s too big of a risk to take, to play with no insurance.” Correa said. “‘I’m definitely upset because I’ve been preparing really hard this offseason to get better this year and be ready early so I can be ready for the WBC.”
Altuve, who had an offseason procedure on his right foot, will not play for Venezuela in the WBC because of insurance reasons, according to The Athletic. He missed more than eight weeks of the 2023 season after suffering a fractured thumb in the World Baseball Classic.
“I signed the paper that I’m willing to go and play like I did for in the last two WBCs,” Altuve told The Athletic on Saturday. “It’s always an honor to represent my country. I played in the last one and the one before and I’m trying to do it in this one. I don’t know what’s going on behind the scenes, but it seems like this year it’s not up to me.”
Correa, who returned to the Astros at the trade deadline last season, said he talked to owner Jim Crane and was told to just “focus on the team and spring training” and that the team “had too many injuries [in 2025].”
The World Baseball Classic will take place in Houston, Miami, Tokyo and San Juan, Puerto Rico, with the semifinals and championship game in Miami.