This Monday closed the deadline for all players invited to spring training to join the camps of their respective teams of the Major Leagues (MLB, for its acronym in English), and 39 players born in Cuba are enlisted.
Names such as outfielders Andy Pagés (Los Angeles Dodgers), Luis Robert Jr. (New York Mets) and Randy Arozarena (Seattle Mariners), infielder Yoan Moncada (Los Angeles Angels) and pitcher Aroldis Chapman (Boston Red Sox), among others, according to a publication from the specialized portal Full Swing.
⚾ TODAY all players report to MLB camps!
Players from the 40-man and NRI roster officially begin Spring Training 2026 ⚾.
Here is the list of Cubans present by organization:
Dbacks: Aramis García NRI, Adrián Del Castillo*,… pic.twitter.com/9SRORQ97Tq
— Yusseff305 (@yusseff305) February 16, 2026
Only six of these players were invited to the preparation without being part of the main list of 40, which implies that the possibility of them being included in that group for the tournament will depend on their performances. Opening Day.
The number of players of Cuban origin involved in the preparation rises to 64, since 25 were not born on the island, but some of their parents were.
Of this larger lot, only four will see action in the VI World Baseball Classic (WBC). The team that will represent Cuba included Moncada, pitcher Yariel Rodríguez (Toronto Blue Jays) and catcher Omar Hernández, while Arozarena will once again wear the colors of Mexico.
Others like Andy Ibáñez, Daysbel Hernández, Víctor Labrada and Lázaro Estada rejected the invitation to play for Cuba in that tournament, to prioritize getting in shape for the upcoming campaign.
Near or far from the record?
As the representation in spring training of Cuban-born players is quite large, we would have to wait until the beginning of March to know how many of them would be active in the Opening Day with their respective casts.
A year ago the number of players who have a direct link with the island rose to 26, thus setting a new record in that department. The previous limit had been maintained since 2016, because a year later and in 2022 that mark was equaled.
