Anthony Olivieri
Michael Rothstein
Michael Rothstein
ESPN Staff Writer
Michael Rothstein, based in Atlanta, is a reporter on ESPN’s investigative and enterprise team. You can follow him via Twitter @MikeRothstein.
Scores of professional athletes in Venezuela, particularly baseball players affiliated with MLB clubs, had their travel schedules thrown into turmoil this week after the U.S. carried out a military operation to capture the country’s leader.
MLB teams say they are contacting players to make sure they’re safe, but the league is declining to discuss details or provide any comment.
Venezuelan winter league baseball playoffs were in full swing, but play was suspended following the attack and is expected to resume Wednesday. Among the league’s 100 Dominican players, many presumably were affected by weekend flight suspensions.
It’s unclear how many players, coaches and staffers from MLB organizations, including minor leaguers, are playing in the league.
There were 63 Venezuelan-born players on MLB rosters as of Opening Day 2025, as Venezuela and the Dominican Republic are the top sources of foreign-born players in MLB.
The U.S. imposed temporary flight restrictions in parts of the Caribbean on Saturday, the day of the military operation. Add to that the fact that the United States has suspended all direct flights to and from Venezuela since 2019.
Players spending the holidays in Venezuela and the Dominican Republic, among other countries, had few options to get out.
With spring training more than a month away, however, it would not have impacted players and coaches returning to their teams in time. While most flight schedules have resumed, major backlogs remain.
Several U.S. professional sports teams told ESPN that they’ve stepped in to offer support to their Venezuelan athletes. No major issues were reported by any of the teams contacted by ESPN.
“We have been in touch with them, but we’ve been advised by the league to not provide details until things settle down some,” Cleveland Guardians spokesperson Bart Swain told ESPN.
New York Mets infielder Luisangel Acuna and Milwaukee Brewers outfielder Jackson Chourio are among the MLB players who participated in Venezuela this season.
“We have been in touch with our players and staff from Venezuela and all are safe,” Jennifer Grondahl, Baltimore Orioles senior vice president of communications, told ESPN in an email. “We will continue to monitor the situation as we get closer to spring training and take the necessary steps to ensure their safe travel to Sarasota.”
The Orioles did not respond to follow-up questions.
“So far, everything has been positive,” a Chicago White Sox spokesperson told ESPN. “… It’s still too early in this process to offer much more.”
Baseball players were not the only athletes impacted. Multiple MLS teams told ESPN they’ve been in contact with their Venezuelan players and that some were not in the country at the time of the military operation. Orlando City and Portland said they expect Venezuelan players for the start of training camp later this month.
One MLS midfield prospect, Yair Gomes from FC Cincinnati’s program, was in Venezuela during the U.S. operation. An FC Cincinnati spokesperson told ESPN that Gomes worked with the team to get out, driving from Venezuela to Colombia and then flying to the United States.
Gomes left Monday and was scheduled to arrive late Tuesday to begin preseason training. He was not initially scheduled to fly back that soon, the spokesperson said.
Messages left with MLS seeking comment were not immediately returned to ESPN.
In the National Women’s Soccer League, the Portland Thorns’ Deyna Castellanos, the league’s best-known Venezuelan player, has been in Venezuela since December running camps and visiting family.
“She is planning on returning to the U.S. next week in preparation for the season and doesn’t anticipate any issues,” Thorns spokesperson Matthew Radmanovich said. “That said, we are available as a resource at any point should she need the club’s assistance.”
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