MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The Minnesota Twins and Carlos Correa made a mutual decision that the shortstop will skip the World Baseball Classic for family reasons, with his wife expecting a baby during the tournament.
The Twins announced Monday that Correa will not participate with the Puerto Rico national team for the fifth edition of the event, which was last played in 2017. Correa’s wife, Daniella, is due with the couple’s second child on March 11. The WBC begins on March 8.
“This was a challenging decision for Carlos. He takes so much pride in representing his country and truly considered ways to make this work,” Twins president of baseball operations Derek Falvey said. “We all acknowledged that the back and forth flying combined with multiple days off from baseball activity didn’t set Carlos up for jumping into meaningful games upon his return.”
Twins position players are scheduled to report for spring training by Feb. 19. Correa signed a six-year, $200 million contract with the club on Jan. 11. The deal is structured with the potential to pay Correa as much as $270 million over 10 seasons if he stays healthy.
