BRADENTON, Fla. — Catcher Elias Diaz, whose mother was rescued from kidnappers in Venezuela on Sunday, was given permission by the Pirates to not report to spring training on time, according to a club spokesperson.
Diaz's arrival is to be determined, as pitchers and catchers will have their first formal workout Wednesday at Pirate City. The club has six other catchers in attendance, though, including Francisco Cervelli and Jacob Stallings.
According to Panorama, a news outlet in the state of Zulia, Diaz’s mother, Ana Soto, was rescued by CICPC, the nation’s police agency, on Sunday and four state police officers were arrested in connection with the crime. Soto, 72, was chatting with neighbors in front of her home in Maracaibo on Thursday when the four armed men abducted her.
Diaz reportedly arrived in the United States last week, but he returned once he was informed of his mother's kidnapping. He was at the hospital with her after the rescue was complete, too:
A friend from Venezuela sent me this picture of Pirates catcher Elias Diaz's mom after she was saved from her captors / Un amigo de Venezuela me envió esta foto de la madre de Elías Díaz después de ser liberada tras su secuestro... https://t.co/LJ98PldaIj pic.twitter.com/DERMInVacq
— Marly Rivera (@MarlyRiveraESPN) February 12, 2018
Diaz, 27, is expected to finally have a full-time spot on the 25-man roster after experiencing a breakthrough behind the plate during the final weeks of last season.
He appeared in 64 games for the Pirates last season, batting .223 with one home run and 19 RBI, but his impact was far greater defensively, where he helped a young pitching staff excel during September. He was signed by former Latin American scouting director Rene Gayo and arrived in the United States in 2009.
Although Diaz was not at Pirate City as pitchers and catchers were given physicals Wednesday, he was very much on the minds of his teammates. Cervelli, a native of Valencia, Venezuela, stayed in constant contact with Diaz over the past week, exchanging text messages to remain updated on the search for Diaz's mother.
Cervelli and Felipe Rivero, whose mother still lives in Venezuela, are all too familiar with the horrific events taking place in their home country, where kidnappings and violence are a daily occurrence.
Diaz helped organize donation drives to bring supplies to the hospital. Children across the country are suffering from malnutrition and maternal mortality rates continue to arise, according a recent report by the New York Times.
Hospitals are short on supplies, including formula for infants, and food prices continue to rise in the country. Riots and protests have intensified because of the lack of affordable food. The Pirates were one of many teams in Major League Baseball to raise awareness of the crisis, beginning with Cervelli, who wrote, “S.O.S Venezuela,” on his eye black.
"The thing is you guys only see Elias’ mom kidnapped but every day there are so many," Cervelli said Tuesday. "Every city. Venezuela is like a bomb right now. It’s crazy. I have so many family there, and I’m scared to say something now. We’re dealing with people with different ideas. It’s hard."
MATT SUNDAY GALLERY