PHOENIX — Clayton Kershaw will not pitch in the World Baseball Classic after all.
The future Hall of Fame left-hander made the announcement Friday at Dodgers spring training, calling the development "super disappointing" after spending the last three months preparing for the event.
Although Kershaw declined to provide specific reasons for his inability to participate, people with knowledge of the situation who were unauthorized to speak publicly said the pitcher had a problem finalizing insurance coverage required for the event. His back-injury history was a significant factor, the people said.
"We tried a lot of different things, all sides, really tried to make it work," Kershaw explained while standing in front of his locker at the team's Camelback Ranch complex. "Nothing is wrong with me. It just didn't work out. I really wanted to do it."
Kershaw's announcement came a day after Team USA general manager Tony Reagins told The Los Angeles Times that the left-hander, who has never played for the U.S. before in the international competition, was facing undisclosed "challenges" to get cleared for the event.
Earlier this week, Kershaw also alluded to "complications" that had left his status for the tournament suddenly unclear.
Although Kershaw wanted to play in the event, and had gotten a go-ahead from Dodgers brass to do so, his insurance problem proved unresolvable.
Insurance issues have kept players out of other iterations of the WBC, and can become especially complicated for players such as Kershaw, who have a history of injury problems.
Last season, Kershaw was sidelined for two months because of back problems. In 2021, he missed most of the second half of the campaign as well as the postseason because of an elbow injury.
This spring, Kershaw said he arrived at camp feeling physically strong after being able to implement a normal offseason throwing program. He downplayed the impact his planned WBC participation would have on his regular-season preparation, noting he didn't have to work out any earlier than usual.
"There were some factors making it hard for me to play," Kershaw said. "I tried to work it out on my own. Tried to work it out with MLB, the union, the team, everybody. Everybody worked hard to try and make it work. Just wasn't able to."
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Staff writer Jorge Castillo contributed to this report.
