Cuba announced its roster for the upcoming Copa América de Béisbol on Sunday, featuring several players with experience on past World Baseball Classic and WBSC Premier12 teams.
Among the notable names are former major Leaguer Alexei Ramírez, longtime Serie Nacional and Nippon Professional Baseball veteran Alfredo Despaigne, and former MLB infielder Erisbel Arruebarrena.
While Cuba’s lineup includes several familiar veterans, many of its top hitters have yet to play at baseball’s highest level.
Yoel Yanqui, a former minor league outfielder who reached Double-A in 2021, has since played in Cuba, Venezuela and Nicaragua. He is currently with the Indios del Boer in Nicaragua’s winter league. In the 2024 Cuban Serie Nacional, Yanqui led the league with a .466 batting average, 14 home runs, 50 RBIs and a 1.576 OPS. He also posted a .900 OPS in Nicaragua last winter and earned a national team call-up. He is expected to be one of Cuba’s top offensive players in Panama.
Another key contributor will be outfielder Yoelkis Guibert, who has played independent ball in Canada, summer baseball in Venezuela, winter ball in Mexico and for Santiago de Cuba in the Serie Nacional. He is also set to join Indios del Boer this winter alongside Yanqui before both travel to Panama for the Copa América. Guibert hit .346/.523/.794 with 12 home runs and 36 RBIs this year in the Serie Nacional. A member of Cuba’s 2023 World Baseball Classic roster, he posted an .844 OPS in that tournament and is expected to return for the 2026 Classic.
The youngest standout on the roster is Raider Sánchez, a 19-year-old first baseman who represented Cuba at the U-23 World Cup qualifiers, where he posted a 1.344 OPS with three home runs. One of the youngest players in the Serie Nacional, Sánchez hit .367/.500/.867 with nine home runs and 25 RBIs this season. He is viewed as one of Cuba’s brightest young hitters.
Cuba’s pitching staff will be led by Pavel Hernández, who has been dominant in the Serie Nacional with a 1.98 ERA and 61 strikeouts over 50 innings — the league lead in strikeouts. On Oct. 15, Hernández threw his second career no-hitter, a seven-inning gem against Cazadores de Artemisa.
Another key arm is Yoennis Yera, one of Cuba’s best pitchers during the 2024 Premier12, where he posted a 1.80 ERA in two starts. He spent the 2025 season with Tabasco in the Mexican League, recording a 4.50 ERA and 72 strikeouts in 90 innings, and is currently pitching winter ball in Venezuela for the Tigres de Aragua.
Cuba will compete in Group A of the Copa América de Béisbol alongside Curaçao, the Dominican Republic, Mexico, Nicaragua and Venezuela. Games will be played in Panama City at Estadio Juan Demóstenes Arosemena.
The top three teams from each group will advance to the super round. The tournament runs from Nov. 13–22, with the top five teams earning berths to the 2027 Pan American Games in Lima, Peru, and the top four qualifying for the 2026 Central American Games in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic.
Photo: Erisbel Arruebarrena #71 Of Team Cuba throws at the bottom of the 2nd inning during the World Baseball Classic exhibition game between Cuba and CTBC Brothers at Taichung Intercontinental Baseball Stadium on March 06, 2023 in Taichung, Taiwan. (Photo by Kenny Hsu – CaptureAt/Getty Images)
