Toronto Blue Jays right-hander Jose Berrios denied insurance to play for Puerto Rico in World Baseball Classic
Photo credit: Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images
After initially being cleared to participate on Tuesday, it was later confirmed that José Berrios will not be allowed to represent Puerto Rico in the 2026 World Baseball Classic.
Toronto Blue Jays veteran right-hander Jose Berrios had been expected to join Puerto Rico's roster, but insurance complications ultimately prevented him from taking part in the tournament.
The situation highlights the ongoing insurance and clearance issues that have affected several teams during this year's Classic, particularly Puerto Rico, which has seen multiple star players unable to participate.
Earlier Tuesday, Puerto Rican team officials had said Berrios would travel to Houston to join the club for the quarterfinal round of the WBC.
However, they were informed roughly an hour before the game that he would not receive the necessary approval to play.
Puerto Rico team GM Carlos Beltran says Jose Berrios will not join them for WBC quarter-finals, after earlier in the day saying he would. He did not get insurance approval after all.
Berrios is not the only Puerto Rican player impacted. Francisco Lindor, Victor Caratini, and Carlos Correa were also unable to secure insurance coverage ahead of the tournament.
Following Puerto Rico's loss to Canada, team general manager Carlos Beltrán said he believes the World Baseball Classic should reconsider its current player-approval and insurance policies before the next tournament.
«Representing your country is very meaningful,» Beltrán said. «At some point, the WBC needs to reevaluate the process around permissions because it doesn't help the teams involved. Some teams are affected when players can't get those approvals. In our case, we've experienced that. But like Joey (Solá) said, we just have to keep moving forward.»
The exact reason Berrios was denied insurance and clearance to play remains unclear
The right-hander made 30 starts for the Blue Jays last season, finishing with a 4.17 ERA.
He reportedly pitched through a biceps injury for much of the year before Toronto placed him on the injured list in September.
Berrios said earlier this spring that he had fully recovered and was entering training healthy.
Had he been available, Berrios would have added valuable experience to Puerto Rico's starting rotation.
Despite entering Tuesday's game with the best ERA in the tournament, Puerto Rico relied heavily on youth in its pitching staff, starting two 22-year-old minor leaguers in its first three games.
Veteran Seth Lugo remains the only established major-league starter currently on the roster.
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| POLL | ||
MARS 11|65 ANSWERS Toronto Blue Jays right-hander Jose Berrios denied insurance to play for Puerto Rico in World Baseball Classic Do you think there may be underlying health issues with Jose Berrios? | ||
| Yes | 27 | 41.5 % |
| No | 23 | 35.4 % |
| Too early to tell | 15 | 23.1 % |
| List of polls | ||