Why is Clayton Kershaw not playing in World Baseball Classic 2023? Examining the Insurance policy that failed to clear him

Clayton Kershaw will not be joining his would-be teammates on Team USA for the 2023 World Baseball Classic. Kershaw has represented his country in the last two WBC tournaments.

Kershaw had a big year in 2022. He struck out his 2,697th batter, surpassing Don Sutton as the all-time Los Angeles Dodgers strikeout leader. He finished the season with a 12-3 record and an ERA of 2.28.

The 2022 season saw a big rebound for the 34-year old Texas native. In 2021, Kershaw dealt with a string of arm issues and was only able to pitch 121 innings, the lowest in any full season of his career. Ever since, the Dodgers have been signing Kershaw to successive 1-year deals.

"Clayton Kershaw has removed himself from the World Baseball Classic" - @ Talkin' Baseball

Every player who participates in the World Baseball Classic must be insured. The insurance is carried out by a third-party. If the health of the player in question is precarious, they will have a difficult time obtaining the requisite insurance.

Although Kershaw originally committed to appearing in the 2023 World Baseball Classic, he has since backed out. Although Kershaw himself was hesitant to provide details, Ken Rosenthal and Fabian Ardaya of the The Athletic have reason to believe that Clayton Kershaw was unable to get insurance for the tournament due to his recent injuries.

Rosenthal and Ardaya made reference to Sonny Gray's situation in 2017. Gray, who was a pitcher for the Oakland Athletics at the time, also failed to get insurance clearance to represent the USA at the 2017 World Baseball Classic.

Although Kershaw put up much better numbers for the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2022, he is still a 34-year old who has developed arm issues very recently. Speaking to the media at the Dodgers training facility in Arizona, Kershaw spoke about his WBC hopes being dashed, ""(It) just didn't work out for a number of reasons. Disappointing, but that's OK, I'll be ready for the season and ready to go."

"Clayton Kershaw just announced that he will not be participating in the World Baseball Classic. He declined to say the specific reason, but said it is "“super disappointing”" - @ Baseball Dugout

Team USA will begin their tournament with a matchup against Great Britain at Chase Field, home of the Arizona Diamondbacks, on March 11th.

Clayton Kershaw will be better off focusing on the season ahead

Although the Los Angeles Dodgers were the best pitching team in the MLB last season, their competition is only getting stiffer. Their divisional rivals, the San Diego Padres, showed in 2022 that they are to be taken seriously. Although Kershaw may never appear in a World Baseball Classic, he still has plenty of time to shine in the MLB.