Cuba will play the quarterfinals of the World Baseball Classic without Yoenis Céspedes, one of its most iconic players.
The designated hitter left the concentration of the team that is playing the Classic, after the first round in Taiwan, due to personal problems that he urgently needs to resolve in the United States, the Cuban Baseball Federation (FCB) reported on Monday.
The federation indicated that Céspedes, 37, traveled to the United States on Sunday night to resolve “impostponable” issues of an individual nature that were not clarified in the statement.
Céspedes played the first two games in Taiwan, and did not play in the last two. He went 0-for-2 with two walks in the debut loss to the Netherlands and 0-for-4 in the loss against Italy. Cuba managed to qualify for the quarterfinals as first in Group A after beating Panama and Taiwan in the last two games.
The three-time Olympic champions will meet Australia in Tokyo. The winner will advance to the semifinal round in Miami.
“His will is to rejoin Miami, if the desired advance to the segment assigned to that city is completed,” added the federation’s message. “Something that will be valued by the technical group, in line with the regulations for the registration and withdrawal process established for the tournament.”
It was also made clear that the situation was unforeseen and did not exist when he “responded positively to the FCB’s call for this event.”
A two-time All-Star selection, Céspedes has not played in the Major Leagues since his sudden departure as part of the New York Mets in the 2020 season, shortened by the coronavirus pandemic. He had played the first eight games, but decided to return home.
This is the first time that Cuba summons players from the Major Leagues or who remain in the United States and other nations abroad without the permission of their federation, showing a change in its policy of five decades in which emphasis was placed on amateurism and Athletes who broke with the sports organization or emigrated were stigmatized.
In order to get the players from the professional circuit of the United States — some based in Mexico were also summoned to Japan, but through an agreement with the FCB —, the athletes had to have special permission from Washington, given that both nations maintain tense relations and the northern country maintains sanctions against the island.
Third baseman Yoan Moncada and outfielder Luis Robert Jr., both from the Chicago White Sox, were among those called.