Miguel Rojas Impacted by New Change for World Baseball Classic

Sep 2, 2025; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers second baseman Miguel Rojas (72) enters the dugout o play he Pittsburgh Pirates at PNC Park. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images | Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

Days after announcing he will not be part of the Team Venezuela roster for the 2026 World Baseball Classic, Miguel Rojas went on the attack while speaking with a throng of reporters at DodgerFest.

The annual event that allows for Los Angeles Dodgers fans to interact with players typically is a day of celebration and laughs, but Rojas shared how disappointed he was over being prevented from playing in the WBC.

"I'm not happy with the way things are," Rojas began. "I didn't know that my chance to go represent my country for the first and only time, probably as a player, was going to get cut because of an insurance problem."

Why can't Miguel Rojas play in WBC?

Rojas is part of a larger-than-normal number of players who have been ruled out from playing in this year's World Baseball Classic due to insurance issues.

According to Alden González of ESPN, the decision involving Rojas stems from the WBC insurance provider having a new rule of not providing coverage for players who are at least 37 years old.

A new insurance provision for this year's World Baseball Classic prevents players from having their contracts insured once they turn 37 years old.

Rojas' birthday is on Feb. 24, when he will turn 37. The new provision in place is not a satisfactory explanation in his eyes.

"If I can still play in the big leagues for the Dodgers, why not go to play for my team in Venezuela and represent my country?” Rojas asked rhetorically.

"It's really hard to not have the opportunity to put my country on my chest and having the opportunity to represent them and help win a World Baseball Classic. Not having the opportunity to do it because I'm 37 years old, that's not right. I don't feel that's right."

Rojas committed to play for Team Venezuela in the 2023 WBC but decided to withdraw because of Gavin Lux's season-ending knee injury suffered during Spring Training thrusting him from a utility role into the Dodgers' starting shortstop.

How players get insurance for World Baseball Classic

A similar scenario unfolded with Clayton Kershaw for the 2023 WBC, as his injury history resulted in a failure to obtain insurance.

Players who are on an MLB 40-man roster and wish to participate in a World Baseball Classic must be insured. The process is handled by an insurer who was agreed upon by the league and Players Association, in this case National Financial Partners (NFP).

NFP and Major League Baseball announced a multiyear partnership in July 2024.

If a player is deemed uninsurable for the WBC, their contract for the regular season would not be guaranteed if they missed time because an injury suffered during the tournament, unless a team agrees to waive such stipulation.