Los Angeles Dodgers left-hander Clayton Kershaw (34) failed to participate in the national team.
Local media such as안전놀이터 ‘USA Today’ reported on the 18th (Korean time) that Kershaw’s participation in the World Baseball Classic (WBC) was frustrated.
Kershaw was scheduled to represent the United States in the tournament. He was also on the national team roster. Expectations were raised as his first WBC appearance, having not had a chance to play for the national team since his big league debut.
However, this was hampered by an unexpected problem. It’s an insurance problem. USA Today reported that insurance policy issues prevented him from competing.
High-paying players like Kershaw buy insurance against insurance when they sign contracts with major league teams. If a player is on the injured list, the club receives money from the insurance company and pays his salary.
The problem is that this insurance company notified Kershaw and his team, the Dodgers, that they would not pay the amount if they were injured while participating in the national team.
USA Today quoted a major league official and introduced that all players participating in the WBC must purchase insurance related to injury problems. Kershaw has not been able to overcome this problem.
Kershaw, who signed a one-year, $20 million contract with the Dodgers for the 2023 season, has recently suffered from frequent injuries. He is plagued by a chronic back injury, and missed the 2021 postseason with a left forearm injury.
Kershaw couldn’t hide his disappointment. In an interview with local media, he said, “I am so disappointed. He really wanted to run. I am desperate,” he said, expressing his feelings.
“We tried several different things. I tried to solve this problem with everyone including the secretariat, the players’ union, and the club. But I couldn’t do that,” he said, saying that he put a lot of effort into solving the problem.
Regarding injury concerns, “I am 100% healthy now. There is nothing wrong. I didn’t think it would be a problem. For players who want to play, we need to make it easy to solve this problem.” “Of course, if the team doesn’t want you to play, you shouldn’t play. But if the team allows it, like me, you have to find a way to participate.”