New York Mets shortstop Francisco Lindor announced that he’s withdrawing from the World Baseball Classic (WBC), citing the elbow surgery he had after the last season as the reason he won’t be playing.
This brings back an unfortunate memory for both the Mets and their fans, as the Mets seemed unaware that Lindor even had surgery, which was described at the time as an “elbow clean up.”
Given the lack of knowledge, the surgery was presumably performed and coordinated by Lindor’s personal doctor and surgeon of choice, but typically these kinds of medical surgeries are well-managed between the team and the player, with plenty of back and forth about the process.
Mets fans will also probably heave a sigh of relief at this news, given that the team has been at the forefront of injuries sustained during the WBC. Former closer Edwin Diaz tore his right patellar tendon celebrating Puerto Rico’s 2023 victory and the fact that Diaz missed the subsequent season has tainted the event for some of the fan base.
Houston Astros fans also felt the same kind of pain when their star shortstop, Jose Altuve, was also injured in the event, as Altuve fractured his thumb after getting hit by a pitch and had to miss the first 43 games of Houston’s season after undergoing surgery.
Lindor always seems to be at the center of one controversy or another, and this year it’s about players who are being denied insurance coverage as they sign on to play in the WBC.
According to Ken Rosenthal and Evan Drellich of The Athletic, Lindor was denied coverage for the event because he’s had elbow surgery in two of the last three offseasons, although both the Mets and Lindor have insisted he’ll be ready for spring training.
The issue is having a profound effect, to the point where Joey Sola, Team Puerto Rico’s operations manager, has said the possibility of withdrawing the team from the tournament is “on the table,” with 8-10 players reportedly having been denied coverage.
Several cases are still under review, according to Rosenthal and Drellich, including those of Astros third baseman Carlos Correa and Toronto Blue Jays right-hander Jose Berrios. The issue here is money, as the cost of ensuring players has grown considerably since the WBC started.
Players can still participate in the event if their team agrees to cover them, which was what the Detroit Tigers did with first baseman Miguel Cabrera in 2023, when Cabrera's contract with Detroit called for him to be paid $32 million. This conflict of interest between MLB and national teams in the WBC has been building for some time, and now it seems to be coming to a head.