Could Yasiel Puig return to Venezuela?
Yusseff Diaz reported in a post on X that the former Major League Baseball outfielder has had several teams in the Liga Venezolana de Beisbol Profesional express interest in signing him for the 2025-26 winter ball season, though it would depend on him being fully recovered from a shoulder injury that cut short his season with the Kiwoom Heroes in South Korea.
Hay varios equipos en la LVBP interesados en los servicios de Yasiel Puig, y un equipo histórico es el líder en la carrera para contratar a toletero cubano. Todo esto depende de que este completamente recuperado de la lesión de hombro que causó su baja en Corea. pic.twitter.com/PSjLFpAWxu
— Yusseff305 🇨🇺🇺🇲 (@yusseff305) August 7, 2025
Should he play in Venezuela, Puig will also have to negotiate around his upcoming criminal trial in Los Angeles, where he is charged with two counts of making false statements to federal investigators and one count of obstruction of justice in a case related to a sports gambling investigation. The trial, before Judge Dolly M. Gee, is scheduled to start on November 4, approximately one month into the upcoming LVBP season.
Puig first played in the LVBP for the Tiburones de La Guaira in 2023-24, joining the team midway through the season and putting together a terrific run, appearing in 26 games with a .418/.518/.846 batting line with a 1.364 OPS, 10 homers and 23 RBIs. The Tiburones won the league title and went on to win the Caribbean Series at loanDepot Park in Miami, their first win at winter ball’s biggest event since 1986. He returned in 2024-25, appearing in 17 games with two homers and 12 RBIs before departing to prepare for the KBO season with Kiwoom.
Ricardo Sanchez To Navegantes – Former St. Louis Cardinals righty Ricardo Sanchez will pitch for the Navegantes de Magallanes this winter. The native of Puerto Cabello, Venezuela pitched for the Algodoneros de Union Laguna in the Liga Mexicana de Beisbol this season, posting a 6.06 ERA and a 1.61 WHIP over 14 starts.
He’s played two seasons in the LVBP previously, both with Magallanes, throwing 97 1/3 innings across 22 starts with a 3.88 ERA.
Narvaez Joining Guillen In Aragua – Chicago White Sox catcher Omar Narvaez will join former Chicago White Sox catcher and manager Ozzie Guillen with the Tigres de Aragua this winter, according to a report published by Meridiano.Net, a Venezuelan sports media outlet.
Narvaez has played in 681 games over 10 seasons in MLB with the White Sox, New York Mets, Milwaukee Brewers, and Seattle Mariners, batting .252 with 53 homers and 206 RBIs. He previously played in the LVBP in 2015-16, playing in 13 games with the Bravos de Margarita and going 7-for-27.
Henderson Alvarez Signs With Caracas – Alvarez, who pitched in MLB from 2011-17, is best remembered for throwing a no-hitter for the Miami Marlins against the Detroit Tigers on Sept. 29, 2013. He made 95 starts in MLB with the Toronto Blue Jays, Marlins, and Philadelphia Phillies, throwing 577 2/3 innings with a 3.82 ERA.
Since leaving the Major Leagues, Alvarez has mostly split his time between pitching in the LMB in the summer and returning to the LVBP to pitch in winter ball. He’s played nine seasons in the LVBP with La Guaira and Magallanes, making 90 appearances and 46 starts, throwing 237 innings with 89 strikeouts. The Maracay, Venezuela-native made three appearances at the 2021 Caribbean Series, posting a 1.80 ERA in five innings of work.
Photo: Yasiel Puig of Tiburones de la Guaira of Venezuela licks his bat in the fifth inning of a game between Venezuela and Dominican Republic at loanDepot park as part of the Serie del Caribe 2024 on February 1, 2024 in Miami, Florida. (Photo by Luis Gutierrez/Norte Photo/Getty Images)
