Jose Altuve's Venezuelan Enigma Solved: He's Joining Houston!
The superstar was unable to feature in the tournament.
Why’s Jose Altuve not playing in the WBC final for Venezuela? originally appeared on The Sporting News . Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here .
When Venezuelan pitcher Andres Machado struck out Andrew Fischer to end the 8th inning of Venezuela’s semi-final game against Italy, the cameras turned to Jose Altuve, who was not on the field or in the dugout, but instead was in the stands, enjoying the moment. Surely, he would have preferred to be on the roster and contributing to Venezuela’s historic run to the World Baseball Classic final. pic.
twitter. com/pqiSbaFT2h — FOX Sports: MLB (@MLBONFOX) March 17, 2026 Why is Jose Altuve not on Venezuela’s WBC roster? Prior to the start of the WBC, the Houston Astros requested that he not play in the tournament.
In fact, Altuve also faced insurance issues regarding his tournament participation, a dilemma that also affected Astros teammate and Puerto Rican player Carlos Correa, who didn’t participate in the tournament either. Altuve would have to watch from the sidelines, and to his credit, he did show up and support his fellow countrymen in the semi-final match against Italy, which the Latin American side won by a 4-2 scoreline. One thing’s for certain, and it’s that the Venezuelan squad could definitely use Altuve as they face off against the United States, baseball’s juggernauts, as the underdog.