Ahead of what will be the final season of his MLB career, Miguel Rojas won’t represent Team Venezuela in the World Baseball Classic because of insurance issues, a source confirmed.
Rojas announced via Instagram on Thursday that he wouldn’t be participating in the triannual international tournament.
“Today I am very sad,” he wrote in Spanish, in a post accompanied by a picture of himself wearing the Venezuelan flag over his shoulders. “A true shame I can’t represent my country and put that flag on my chest.”
Rojas, 37, is one of several players who are reportedly unable to participate in this spring’s WBC because of issues getting their MLB contracts insured against potential injury in the tournament –– the same requirement that also forced Clayton Kershaw, among others, to miss the most recent WBC in 2023.
Without insurance (or, in very rare cases, agreements with their MLB teams), big-league players would not have their contracts guaranteed for any time they miss during the regular season resulting from injuries sustained in the WBC.
Typically, insurance issues arise over concerns about a player’s injury history. But, while Rojas has dealt with hernia, forearm and intercostal issues over the last two years, his situation also stemmed from his age, as El Extrabase first reported and Rojas’ Instagram post itself indicated.
“On this occasion,” Rojas wrote, “age wasn’t just a number.”
A 12-year big-league veteran who has played a key role in both of the Dodgers’ recent back-to-back World Series championships, Rojas has never before played in the WBC.
He was originally part of Team Venezuela’s 2023 squad, but pulled out shortly before the tournament after Gavin Lux’s torn ACL during spring training that year thrust him into a starting role for the Dodgers –– who had just re-acquired the smooth-fielding utilityman in a trade from the Miami Marlins that offseason.
“It’s a decision that is not coming easy for me,” Rojas told MLB.com then. “Definitely the WBC and my country and being part of that squad has always been a priority for me and something I really value in my career. [It is] one of the best things that I could have done in my career, an experience like no other.”
Now Rojas, who re-signed with the Dodgers as a free agent this offseason and is slated to take on a player development role within the organization once he retires, won’t get the chance before his playing career ends.
With Rojas ruled out of the WBC, the Dodgers currently have only three confirmed participants: Will Smith for Team USA; and Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto for Team Japan.
Kershaw, who retired from the major leagues after last season, will also be on Team USA’s roster.
