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The Diamondbacks gave new first baseman Carlos Santana permission to play for the Dominican Republic in next month’s World Baseball Classic without requiring him to secure insurance on his contract.
“I’m excited,” Santana said. “I thank Arizona for giving me support for that.”
Some high-profile players, including Houston Astros stars Carlos Correa and Jose Altuve, are expected to skip the WBC because of the high cost of insuring their deals.
Insurance policies give teams some security in the event of injury. For example, the New York Mets were reimbursed in 2023 for all of closer Edwin Diaz’s $18.6 million salary when he suffered a season-ending injury pitching for Puerto Rico.
According to reports, policies have been harder to secure this year.
The Diamondbacks were willing to assume the risk for Santana, who is owed $2 million on the contract that was finalized this week. Part of the club’s willingness to do so is because they want Santana to form a bond with Diamondbacks teammates Geraldo Perdomo and Ketel Marte, both of whom also will play for the Dominican Republic.
“Everybody knows I’m the kind of player who is kind of disciplined and the younger guys, they follow me,” Santana said. “I’m going to be able to stay close to Marte and Perdomo. It’s a good (situation).”
The Diamondbacks' decision to green-light Santana in the tournament was first reported by The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal.
Lefty Andrew Saalfrank said his recovery from shoulder surgery could take anywhere from 10 to 16 months, which could mean he misses time early in the 2027 season as well as all of 2026.
“I don’t know what’s going to happen on the other side of this, but I’m just doing what I can do now to do my best to prepare for next year,” Saalfrank said.
After experiencing shoulder discomfort late last season, he stopped throwing for six weeks before beginning a throwing program in November.
“We basically got towards the end where you’re getting to the max-effort throws and really starting to step on it, and it kind of exposed what we’re dealing with again,” Saalfrank said. “Figured it was January, so it’s probably not the time to try to grind through things. It’s time to do what’s best for me in the future and not necessarily what’s best for the next two or three months.”
That meant having surgery to remove a sort of bone spur known as a Bennett lesion in his shoulder. The surgery also included minor maintenance on the labrum and rotator cuff, general manager Mike Hazen said.
Manager Torey Lovullo said outfield coach Dave McKay already has begun to work with infielder Jordan Lawlar on helping him transition to center field.
The move to the outfield takes on heightened focus following Corbin Carroll’s hamate injury, which Lovullo said could prompt the club to shift center fielder Alek Thomas to right field.
That would allow Lawlar, who came through the minors as a shortstop, to let his athleticism and instincts guide him in center field.
“I think athleticism plays into this,” Lovullo said. “He’s an elite athlete. Getting reps and getting sightlines and just getting the speed and trajectory of the baseball is the most important thing. We’re going to do the best we can to fast-forward that process and get him out there getting those reps.
“It probably needs to start out slowly, as it has, and then eventually give him some live reps in a game. That ultimately is going to be the test. We have a lot of confidence that he’s going to be OK.”
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Diamondbacks clear Carlos Santana for WBC without insurance
Continue reading...
“I’m excited,” Santana said. “I thank Arizona for giving me support for that.”
Some high-profile players, including Houston Astros stars Carlos Correa and Jose Altuve, are expected to skip the WBC because of the high cost of insuring their deals.
Insurance policies give teams some security in the event of injury. For example, the New York Mets were reimbursed in 2023 for all of closer Edwin Diaz’s $18.6 million salary when he suffered a season-ending injury pitching for Puerto Rico.
According to reports, policies have been harder to secure this year.
The Diamondbacks were willing to assume the risk for Santana, who is owed $2 million on the contract that was finalized this week. Part of the club’s willingness to do so is because they want Santana to form a bond with Diamondbacks teammates Geraldo Perdomo and Ketel Marte, both of whom also will play for the Dominican Republic.
“Everybody knows I’m the kind of player who is kind of disciplined and the younger guys, they follow me,” Santana said. “I’m going to be able to stay close to Marte and Perdomo. It’s a good (situation).”
The Diamondbacks' decision to green-light Santana in the tournament was first reported by The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal.
Saalfrank out 10 to 16 months after surgery
Lefty Andrew Saalfrank said his recovery from shoulder surgery could take anywhere from 10 to 16 months, which could mean he misses time early in the 2027 season as well as all of 2026.
“I don’t know what’s going to happen on the other side of this, but I’m just doing what I can do now to do my best to prepare for next year,” Saalfrank said.
After experiencing shoulder discomfort late last season, he stopped throwing for six weeks before beginning a throwing program in November.
“We basically got towards the end where you’re getting to the max-effort throws and really starting to step on it, and it kind of exposed what we’re dealing with again,” Saalfrank said. “Figured it was January, so it’s probably not the time to try to grind through things. It’s time to do what’s best for me in the future and not necessarily what’s best for the next two or three months.”
That meant having surgery to remove a sort of bone spur known as a Bennett lesion in his shoulder. The surgery also included minor maintenance on the labrum and rotator cuff, general manager Mike Hazen said.
Jordan Lawlar’s outfield transition underway
Manager Torey Lovullo said outfield coach Dave McKay already has begun to work with infielder Jordan Lawlar on helping him transition to center field.
The move to the outfield takes on heightened focus following Corbin Carroll’s hamate injury, which Lovullo said could prompt the club to shift center fielder Alek Thomas to right field.
That would allow Lawlar, who came through the minors as a shortstop, to let his athleticism and instincts guide him in center field.
“I think athleticism plays into this,” Lovullo said. “He’s an elite athlete. Getting reps and getting sightlines and just getting the speed and trajectory of the baseball is the most important thing. We’re going to do the best we can to fast-forward that process and get him out there getting those reps.
“It probably needs to start out slowly, as it has, and then eventually give him some live reps in a game. That ultimately is going to be the test. We have a lot of confidence that he’s going to be OK.”
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Diamondbacks clear Carlos Santana for WBC without insurance
Continue reading...
