Astros’ presence in World Baseball Classic looks pathetic after insurance denials

2026 is undoubtedly the most anticipated iteration of the World Baseball Classic. After a six-year hiatus due to COVID, the 2023 tournament took the event to new heights and the game's best talents are showing up in force. Well, a lot of them anyways with some notable Houston Astros having to sit this one out.

For the most part, each team will be sending at least a few of their best players to play for their respective countries. Marquee names like Paul Skenes, Tarik Skubal, Fernando Tatis Jr., and Shohei Ohtani are just a few of the many franchise faces that will be making appearances. Unfortunately for Houston, they'll have to settle for somewhat disappointing representation.

Astros will send just three players to the World Baseball Classic

Houston's three representatives for this year's tournament are Shay Whitcomb (Korea), Zach Dezenzo (Italy), and Jeremy Peña (Dominican Republic). Peña is well on his way to becoming one of the best shortstops in the game but Dezenzo and Whitcomb haven't made nearly as much impact in their admittedly short big league careers.

For their more tenured players, the main problem was insurance and injury risk. Jose Altuve and Carlos Correa weren't able to get their contracts insured for the tournament and the Astros weren't willing to take on the risk themselves. Other players that either competed last time or were slated to compete were kept off of rosters for similar reasons.

Ronel Blanco and Cristian Javier are both recovering from Tommy John surgery while Isaac Paredes dealt with a hamstring injury in the second half of the season that's likely still a cause for concern. It was initially reported that Yainer Diaz would play a crucial role as one of the Dominican Republic's catchers but when the official roster was announced, he was notably omitted, potentially having something to do with his recent arbitration victory.

It's an underwhelming outcome for a team that had 14 of its players participate in 2023 but with so many adverse effects from injuries, the team's conservative approach is understandable. If more of their pitchers were available and Altuve didn't miss nearly half the season in 2023 after fracturing his thumb in the quarterfinals, perhaps the Astros would be more enthusiastic about sending their best and brightest. Nonetheless, even if it's the right business decision, it'll be disheartening to Astros fans, especially since Houston will be a host city for the WBC.

The organization is in the midst of tying up the final loose ends of their offseason, narrowly avoiding an arbitration hearing with Isaac Paredes and making final preparations for the first pitcher and catcher workout on Wednesday, February 11th. So while Daikin Park will host Pool B games and two quarterfinal games, the Astros will, for the most part, be forced to cheer on their three teammates from afar.