Cuba has announced its roster for this year’s Central American and Caribbean Games. The tournament will run from July 31-Aug. 7 in Santo Domingo. The winner will earn a berth in the 2027 Pan American Games in Lima, Peru.
Cuba’s roster includes five players who were also on its roster for the 2026 World Baseball Classic.
One of those players is catcher Andrys Pérez. The 25-year-old plays in Cuba and has spent this season with the Cocodrilos de Matanzas in the Cuban Elite League. He has posted a .954 OPS and is tied for the team lead with six home runs.
Another player to watch offensively is Yasiel González. The 28-year-old outfielder became the first player in Cuban baseball history to win MVP honors in both the Serie Nacional and Liga Élite del Béisbol Cubano in the same year. Playing for the Sabuesos de Holguín, he posted a 1.227 OPS with 19 home runs this season. He is expected to be Cuba’s biggest power threat.
Yoel Yanqui, another member of Cuba’s 2026 World Baseball Classic roster, is also a player to watch. The projected designated hitter/first baseman posted a .923 OPS with 14 home runs and 49 RBIs for the Marineros de Carabobo in Venezuela’s Liga Mayor de Béisbol Profesional before the season was canceled following the earthquake that struck Venezuela in late June. Along with González, Yanqui gives Cuba another middle-of-the-order power bat.
On the mound, José Bermúdez is one of Cuba’s top pitchers to watch. He plays winter ball with the Huracanes de Mayabeque in the Serie Nacional and spends the summer with Fortitudo Bologna in Italy’s Serie A Gold. This past winter, he posted a 2.23 ERA with 64 strikeouts in 80 2/3 innings. He has carried that success into the 2026 Serie A Gold season, recording a 1.36 ERA with a league-leading 103 strikeouts in 66 1/3 innings. His strikeout total leads the league by 19.
Another pitcher to watch is 25-year-old right-hander Randy Cueto. He pitches in the winter for Villa Clara in the Serie Nacional and in the summer for the Iren Avigliana Rebels Reale Mutua in Italy’s Serie A Silver. Last winter, Cueto tied for the Serie Nacional lead with a 1.85 ERA over 73 innings while striking out 70. This season in Italy, he has compiled a 3.04 ERA with 135 strikeouts in 91 2/3 innings and has thrown two complete games. He is expected to be one of Cuba’s top starters.
Cuba opens the Central American and Caribbean Games against Curaçao on July 31.
Cuba is in Pool A with Curaçao, Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic. Pool B consists of Colombia, Mexico, Nicaragua and Panama. The top three teams from each pool will advance to the six-team super round from Aug. 3-5. The gold medal and bronze medal games will be played Aug. 7.
Cuba schedule
- July 31: vs. Curaçao
- Aug. 1: vs. Puerto Rico
- Aug. 2: vs. Dominican Republic
Full Cuba roster (most recent team this season)
Pitchers
- Randy Cueto (Iren Avigliana Rebels Reale Mutua)
- Armando Dueñas (Samanes de Aragua)
- José Bermúdez (Fortitudo Bologna)
- Brander Guevara (Conspiradores de Querétaro)
- Raymond Figueredo (1949 Parma Baseball Club)
- Fher Cejas (Industriales)
- Yunieski García (Senadores de Caracas)
- Yanquiel Mauris (Leñadores de Las Tunas)
- Yunier Batista (Industriales)
- Andy Vargas (Industriales)
- Frank Herrera (Farma Crocetta)
Catchers
- Andrys Pérez (Cocodrilos de Matanzas)
- Andy Cosme (Cazadores de Artemisa)
- Harold Vásquez (Cazadores de Artemisa)
Infielders
- Yoel Yanqui (Marineros de Carabobo)
- Yulieski Remón (Cocodrilos de Matanzas)
- Tailón Sánchez (Industriales)
- Luis Mateo (Sabuesos de Holguín)
- Henry Quintero (Leñadores de Las Tunas)
- Jeison Martínez (Huracanes de Mayabeque)
Outfielders
- Yoelquis Guibert (Senadores de Caracas)
- Leonel Moas (Sabuesos de Holguín)
- Yasiel González (Sabuesos de Holguín)
- José Noroña (Cocodrilos de Matanzas)
Photo: Cuba’s Yoelquis Guibert into home plate during Pool A game against The Netherlands during World Baseball Classic at Taichung Intercontinental Baseball Stadium in Taichung, Taiwan on Wednesday March 8th, 2023. (AP Photo/I-Hwa Cheng)
