By Valentina MartinezShareNewsweek is a Trust Project memberLos Angeles Dodgers veteran Miguel Rojas didn't hold back on rejections from the World Baseball Classic because of issues with insurance, which kept him from participating in the tournament.
Rojas noted how the insurance issues seem to be particularly impacting several Latin American players.
“I don’t see that happening with the United States, or happening with Japan. And I’m not trying to attack anybody or attack what’s going on … But if I can still play in the big-leagues for the Dodgers, why am I not going to play for my team in Venezuela and represent my country?” Rojas said at DodgerFest Saturday.
The infielder's remarks come amid Team Puerto Rico's threats to withdraw from the tournament because several of their players were rejected to participate due to insurance policies.
“We are considering not participating in this edition [of the WBC]. It’s a discussion we’ve already had. If we are not playing under equal conditions, we will not participate. It’s a decision that is almost, almost, made. We are issuing a warning. We’ll see what happens in the coming days and we will make a final decision," President of the Puerto Rico Baseball Federation Dr. Jose Quiles said.
As for Rojas, the 37-year-old will miss the WBC for a second consecutive time after withdrawing from the 2023 tournament to take on the starting shortstop role with the Dodgers after Gavin Lux tore his ACL in spring training. The 2026 WBC was the infielder's final chance to represent Team Venezuela as he plans to retire at the end of the season.
...What Are Miguel Rojas' Retirement Plans Following 2026 Season?
The Dodgers are chasing the three-peat in what is likely to be Rojas' final MLB season. As for the 37-year-old, he hopes to become an MLB manager post-retirement.
“I want to coach, I want to kinda like put my input and the whole experience I had playing the game, learning the game from others learning from coaches, learning from my teammates, playing around the best in the game for a long time, I feel like I could have a critical opportunity to help the next generation and even the generation that we have right now," Rojas told McKain.
“I don’t want to get away from the game, I want to stay in the game as long as I have an opportunity and I’m looking forward to that. I don’t know what my role is gonna be or what path I’m gonna have to take, but I want to keep all the avenues open for me to stay in the game and help the next generation.”
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