Baseball: Naykel Cruz changes Matanzas for Italy despite having been announced

Havana/The player Naykel Cruz will finally not be a reinforcement of the Cocodrilos de Matanzas team for the IV Elite League. According to the space specialized in baseball Dporto Sports Newsalthough the Matanzas player had been announced by the club, “it was not yet approved by the National Commission.”

Cruz, for his part, argued to the same space on Facebook that “commitments abroad, specifically in the Serie A Oro of Italy 2026” will prevent him from joining the team with which he was champion in the National Series 59.

Cruz’s place will be occupied by Leandro Martínez, the pitcher who was punished for more than two years for disagreements with the manager from Granma, Ángel Ortega. The National Institute of Sports, Physical Education and Recreation (Inder) described it as “a very serious indiscipline.” Furthermore, he considered that the statements made on the subject were an “illegal demonstration.”

According to Dporto Sports Newsthe Matanzas coach, Armando Ferrer, has been “the savior” of Martínez, “because he has asked for him as reinforcement” to replace Cruz.

“The left-hander from two World Baseball Classics, the pitcher that not even the journalists in his province defended… nor almost anyone else, returns to Cuban baseball again, and this time thanks to Ferrer and Matanzas,” said JuanK.

The federations do not forget that, in 2024, the pitcher spoiled a contract for his incorporation with the Canadian club Kitchener Panthers to the directors. Cruz traveled to the Dominican Republic, where on June 3 of last year he made his signing official with the Baltimore Orioles, a Major League team. The left-hander was sent to the affiliate, Orioles Black in the Dominican Summer League, where he had an ERA record of 4.58 in 19.2 innings launched.

The athlete only lasted one year in an affiliate of a US Major League team and after disagreements with his representative, the Cuban-American Gladys Alonso, for wanting to integrate Cuba in the last World Classic, the Maryland club fired him. After his discharge, he reached an agreement with Matanzas, which confirmed him as a reinforcement on April 21.

The Elite League will have a role of 40 games in which the teams will be protagonists: Crocodiles of Matanzas, Leñadores de Las Tunas, Cachorros de Holguín, Industriales de La Habana, Hurricanes de Mayabeque and Cazadores de Artemisa.

The qualification stage will take place between May 2 and June 19, with subseries of four matches. In it play-off contemplates a transfer day after the second and fifth challenges, they are agreed between June 21 and 30. The final will be from July 2 to 10.