Los Angeles Angels outfielder Mike Trout is the latest player who won’t be participating in the World Baseball Classic because of an inability to get his major league contract covered by insurance.
Trout, 34, told reporters that he wouldn’t be able to once again represent the U.S. in the 2026 WBC as he would be putting his $35 million salary this season on the line if he elected to play without coverage.
The three-time American League MVP likely wouldn’t have played a huge role on this year’s WBC squad, which is expected to start Aaron Judge, Byron Buxton and Pete Crow-Armstrong in the outfield, but it would have given him a chance to build on his strong performance in the 2023 WBC.
He had one home run and seven RBIs with a .962 OPS in seven games in that WBC, helping lead the Americans to the championship game which they lost to Japan.
Trout has battled injuries the last five seasons, playing more than 82 games just twice over that span and never playing more than 130 games. He told reporters Monday that he’s fully healthy and wants to return to center field after playing right field last season.
Houston Astros standouts Carlos Correa and Jose Altuve were each also denied insurance coverage to play in the WBC for Puerto Rico and Venezuela, respectively.
Over 15 seasons and 1,648 games for Los Angeles, Trout is a career .294 hitter with 404 homers, 325 doubles and 1,018 RBIs.
The 2026 World Baseball Classic runs from March 5-17 and features 20 teams. Team USA won the event in 2017.
–Field Level Media
Comments