The Milwaukee Brewers are saying that they are unaware of the status of several players located in Venezuela. This news comes after a US military operation in Venezuela, which resulted in the detention of the president of the country, Nicolas Maduro.

The president of baseball operations for the Brewers, Matt Arnold, addressed the issue on Saturday and confirmed that they have been unable to connect with players who were believed to be in Venezuela at the time of the incident. This includes star outfielder Jackson Chourio, infielder Andruw Monasterio, and catcher Jeferson Quero.

“We don’t have much info at the moment but are trying to follow up,” Arnold told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. “We know the airports have been shut down but not much beyond that.”

• Just before the US took action, Chourio was on a tear through the Venezuelan winter league, pitching with perhaps his biggest performance yet. On January 2, he hit an extra-inning home run that proved to be the game-winner for his team, Aguilas del Zulia, in its playoff opener.
• Monasterio is also playing in the LVBP playoffs for Caribes de Anzoátegui.
• Quero played for Cardenales de Lara this winter and remains in Venezuela.

But it doesn’t end here. As per the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Angel Zerpa was in his native country at the time of the trade to the Brewers. This was in December, and currently, it isn’t known if he is in Venezuela. On the other hand, William Contreras, who is also from Venezuela, lives outside the country during the off-season.

The U.S. military conducted what is called a “large-scale strike” in Venezuela early Saturday morning. President Donald Trump confirmed that the country’s president and his wife were taken into custody during the operation and flown out of the country. Trump also stated on Truth Social that the mission was successful and carried out with U.S. law enforcement.

Reports stated that at least seven explosions were heard in Caracas around 2 a.m. local time, with a low-flying aircraft observed over the city. The helicopters were then confirmed to be the “Night Stalkers.” These belong to the U.S. Army’s 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment.

The Venezuelan government has confirmed in a statement that civilian and military areas in Caracas, as well as the states of Miranda, Aragua, and La Guaira, were all damaged during the operation. The statement then pointed fingers at the superpower for showing military aggression to seize the country’s natural resources, such as oil and minerals.

However, the U.S. military has mentioned that the operation was targeted to tackle substance-carrying boats in the Caribbean and Eastern Pacific.

After the Brewers, the Giants await clarity as the situation unfolds in Venezuela

Not just the Milwaukee Brewers players, there is a major concern for players who are currently playing winter ball in the country. The San Francisco Giants have two players who are actively involved in the Venezuelan Winter League. There is outfielder Luis Matos, who is playing for Guaira in the capital city of Caracas.

Then there is Jesús Rodríguez playing for Aragua in Maracay, which is a northern city near the Caribbean coast. Now, Rodriguez has confirmed that he is safe and is in contact with the team. But given that the airspace of the country is closed, he is unable to leave the country for at least a few days and is waiting for further instructions.

Even beyond these two players, there are several Giant minor leaguers from Venezuela with whom the team has maintained extensive scouting operations. Senior director of player development Kyle Haines mentioned that the team has been able to get in touch with most of the people, though not everyone.

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“Everyone we’ve been in touch with is doing well so far. Most have just sheltered in place, awaiting what the future holds. It’s always tough to get a hold of some more remote people due to a lack of services in those areas, but we’re working on contacting everyone.”

Former Giants manager Bruce Bochy, who played winter ball in Venezuela and has ties to the country, said he checked in on his friend José Alguacil, the former Giants first base coach who now manages Caracas in the winter league.

MLB has dealt with uncertainty in Venezuela before. So, it has established close ties with the State Department to ensure the welfare of players and personnel.

Currently, teams are hoping that any change in the government will help Venezuelan players travel in and out of the country. Since 2019, traveling and the visa process have become difficult after Venezuela cut diplomatic ties to the U.S.