Carlos Santana does not fit under the umbrella to be covered by insurance for the 2026 World Baseball Classic.
That won’t stop him from playing.
The Diamondbacks, Santana’s new team, will allow him to play and assume any risk, The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal reported on Tuesday.
The insurance company for MLB has denied players who are at least 37 years old, and Santana is 39.
But Diamondbacks general manager Mike Hazen, in consulting with his front office deputies, gave the first baseman the green light to play for the Dominican Republic, a team that boasts Arizona stars Ketel Marte and Geraldo Perdomo.
Santana, a 2019 All-Star now getting ready for his 17th MLB season, signed with Arizona on a one-year, $2 million contract last week.
Insurance coverage has been a surprising talking point ahead of this year’s international tournament, with a few notable stars missing out.
Among them is Mets shortstop Francisco Lindor, who did not receive coverage after he underwent debridement surgery on his throwing elbow following the 2025 season and will not play with his native Puerto Rico come March.
On Tuesday, when addressing Lindor’s stress reaction in his left hamate bone, Mets president David Stearns said the Mets did not have anything to do with Lindor not suiting up in the WBC.
“We had nothing to do with that,” Stearns said. “I actually don’t know why he wasn’t given the clearance, he wasn’t approved for insurance. Clubs have no part in that. That’s all done through the MLBPA and Major League Baseball.”
Astros stars Jose Altuve (Venezuela) and Carlos Correa (Puerto Rico) were also not given insurance coverage for the tourney, as first reported by The Athletic in January.
