A Latino to follow on each of the 30 MLB rosters
Which are the Latin players who can attract the most attention during the extensive Major League season in 2026.
The latin american players They represent a quarter of the population of the Major Leagues and, with very few exceptions, they have a great impact on all teams, mainly the Atlanta Braves and San Diego Padres, who have 15 players from our region in the mix.
Of the 948 players included in the 26-man rosters for him Opening Dayon the injured list or on restricted lists, 247 of these, which represents 26.1 percent of the total players, were born outside the United States.
Dominican Republicone of the nine Latin American countries represented by at least one player at the start of the 2026 campaignis the foreign nation with the most players on Opening Day rosters with 93.
Only taking into account the Latin American countries, the Dominicans are followed by Venezuela with 60 players, Cuba with 20, Puerto Rico with 14, Mexico with 7, Panama with 4, Colombia with 3 and both Nicaragua and Honduras have 1 representative.
Some clubs have more than one Latin superstar on their rosters, however, we offer you a specific candidate so you don’t lose sight of the 2026 season.
American League
East Division:
Baltimore Orioles, Samuel Basallo: The Dominican catcher debuted last year and signed a $67 million contract, but he starts the season among the players eligible for the Rookie of the Year award. That should give you an idea of its potential.
Boston Red Sox, Jarren Durán: The Mexican outfielder enters his sixth season with the Red Sox as one of the best players in the Major Leagues. In the previous two seasons he hit 158 extra-base hits and stole 54 bases.
New York Yankees, José Caballero: The Panamanian was installed as the Yankees’ regular shortstop due to his performance last season and the shoulder injury of incumbent Anthony Volpe. The decision made by the bosses in New York when Volpe is ready to play will depend on Caballero’s performance.
Tampa Bay Rays, Junior Caminero: The Dominican third baseman is one of the most powerful hitters in the game. Last season, at 21 years old, he hit 45 home runs and 28 doubles and drove in 110 runs. In his first 200 games he hit 52 home runs and 135 RBIs.
Toronto Blue Jays, Vladimir Guerrero Jr.: One of the best players in both leagues, Guerrero is a genuine candidate for the American League Most Valuable Player award, which Shohei Ohtani and Aaron Judge have recently monopolized. Guerrero was an All-Star in the previous five seasons and won two Silver Sluggers and a Gold Glove at first base in the interim.
Central Division:
Chicago White Sox, Lenyn Sosa: The Venezuelan infielder has become one of the main players of the south Chicago team. Last year he hit 22 home runs and 20 doubles and drove in 75 runs.
Cleveland Guardians, José Ramírez: One of the best players in MLB and a candidate well on his way to the standards that lead to the Hall of Fame. “Mr La Para” placed third (for the third time in his career) in the battle for the Most Valuable Player in 2025, when he achieved his second consecutive 30-30 (home runs and steals).
Detroit Tigers, Framber Valdez: The Dominican led all left-handed pitchers with 767.2 innings, 83 quality outings, 57 wins and 61% hitting on the ground, in the past four seasons, before signing with Detroit in free agency for three years and $115 million dollars to form with Tarik Skubal the best pairing of left-handed pitchers on the same team in the Major Leagues.
Minnesota Twins, Víctor Caratini: The Twins signed the catcher, first baseman and designated hitter for two years to have depth on the roster. A 10-year major league veteran, Caratini had 14 doubles, 12 home runs and 46 RBIs with the Houston Astros last year. With Venezuelan pitcher Pablo Lopez out for the season, the Latino to watch in Minnesota is Caratini.
Kansas City Royals, Maikel García: A 26-year-old third baseman who can flirt with the 30-30 on offense and win the Gold Glove is easily one of the best players today and the best Latino on his team. García has improved each year, until he joins in 2025 with the All-Star Game, the Gold Glove and special mentions in the battle for the Most Valuable Player of the American League.
Western Division:
Athletics, Luis Severino: The two-time All-Star right-hander is in great shape to justify his historic three-year, $67 million contract with the Athletics.
Houston Astros, 9389542: When healthy, Alvarez is one of the scariest hitters in the game. For every 162 games, the Cuban averages 41 home runs and 118 RBIs, with a .297 batting average and .966 OPS. During the spring and the first week of the regular series, Álvarez has looked like the nightmare he can be for pitchers.
Los Angeles Angels, José Soriano: The Dominican right-hander was the second best starting pitcher for the Angels in 2025 (10-11, 4.26 and 152 strikeouts in 165 innings), only behind the Japanese Yusei Kikuchi, and in his first two starts of 2026 he pitched 12 scoreless innings with 11 strikeouts.
Texas Rangers, Ezequiel Durán: Previously a team loaded with Latin stars, Texas has changed its appearance a lot. Dominican utility man Ezequiel Durán, who has not played more than 100 games since 2023, is his best Latin card.
Seattle Mariners, Julio Rodríguez: In his first four seasons he had 116 home runs, 112 stolen bases, three invitations to the All-Star Game, two Silver Sluggers and the Rookie of the Year award. The great Dominican center fielder only needs to improve his traditional slow starts to increase his chances of contending for the Most Valuable Player.
National League
East Division:
Atlanta Braves, Ronald Acuña Jr: One of the best players in the world, all the Venezuelan outfielder needs is to stay on the field for more than 140 games to return to the form that led him to win the Most Valuable Player in 2023.
Miami Marlins, Sandy Alcántara: The former National League Cy Young Award winner is by far the most important player on the entire Marlins roster. Alcantara, whose $56 million contract will expire at the end of the season, pitched 174.2 innings in 2025, when he returned from Tommy John surgery.
New York Mets, Juan Soto: The most expensive player of all time and one of the best of his generation, Soto is also the best Latino on a team loaded with Hispanic players. In his first season with the Mets, the Dominican finished third in the Most Valuable Player fight, for the second year in a row.
Philadelphia Phillies, Cristopher Sánchez: The left-hander finished second to Paul Skenes in the National League Cy Young Award race last season, continuing his growth in the industry. Since 2023, the Dominican is third in bWAR (13.9) among MLB starting pitchers.
Washington Nationals, Luis García Jr.: The Dominican second baseman has been the Nationals’ strongest Latino since the departure of his compatriot Juan Soto. García’s best season in MLB was 2024, when he hit .282 with 70 RBIs, 25 doubles, 22 steals and 18 home runs.
Central Division:
Chicago Cubs, Edward Cabrera: The Dominican was acquired from the Marlins and in his first outing he showed his ability to become a top rotation pitcher in the major leagues.
Cincinnati Reds, Elly De La Cruz: The Dominican shortstop is one of the most complete players in the world. The two-time All-Star averages 31 doubles, 24 home runs and 53 stolen bases per 162 games in MLB. Important: He will play throughout 2026 at 24 years of age.
Milwaukee Brewers, William Contreras: The Venezuelan two-time All-Star is one of the most complete catchers in the Major Leagues. After posting an OPS above .830 three years in a row, he dropped to .754 in 2025, but there is every reason to think Contreras is ready for his best season with Milwaukee.
St. Louis Cardinals, Iván Herrera: The Panamanian’s growth was one of the reasons why the Cardinals decided to convert Venezuelan Willson Contreras into first baseman, before trading to Boston. Herrera is a solid catcher who hit .282 with 24 home runs in his first 200 MLB games.
Pittsburgh Pirates, Oneil Cruz: The shortstop-turned-center fielder has had trouble adjusting to his new position. But what hasn’t changed is the offensive potential of Cruz, who has hit 44 home runs and stolen 60 bases since the start of the 2024 season.
Western Division:
Arizona Diamondbacks, Ketel Marte: Despite the huge boost his compatriot and double-play partner, shortstop Geraldo Perdomo, has gained, Marte remains the Diamondbacks’ leader and the best second baseman in baseball.
Colorado Rockies, Ezequiel Tovar: An excellent fielder, the Venezuelan shortstop can also hit and he just remembered it in the World Baseball Classic. Two injuries (left hip and left oblique) limited him to 95 games last year. Healthy, Tovar should return to his 2024 form, when he hit 45 doubles and 26 home runs and won the Gold Glove.
Los Angeles Dodgers, Edwin Díaz: One of the best closers today, Díaz joined the Dodgers via free agency with a $69 million contract for three seasons. The annual average of $23 million is the record for a reliever in MLB.
San Diego Padres, Fernando Tatis Jr.: The shortstop-turned-outfielder is currently one of the most defensive players in all of baseball, with two Platinum Gloves in the last three years. On offense, Tatis is averaging 36 home runs and 30 stolen bases per 162 games since he debuted with the Padres.
San Francisco Giants, Rafael Devers: Despite the controversy surrounding his trade from the Boston Red Sox to the Giants, Devers was able to record 33 doubles, 35 home runs and 109 RBIs in 2025, his fourth season with at least 30 homers and 100 RBIs in the last seven years.
Information from Juan A. Recio was used in this note.
