The Milwaukee Brewers are scheduled to begin Spring Training games on February 21. But while the date is more than a month away, many teams around Major League Baseball are facing an unprecedented problem, one that may keep some of their star players from being able to report to camp on time.
As fans may be aware, United States President Donald Trump recently had the Nicolas Maduro, the “President” of Venezuela, arrested and taken to America. This sudden change in leadership in Venezuela has caused a great deal of disorder and shutdown, including cancellation of flights in and out of the country.
Which means that Brewers players, and others around baseball, who reside in that country are stranded. For a while, there were reports that Milwaukee was not able to even contact some of their players, including star outfielder Jackson Chourio.
The Milwaukee Brewers say their players, including Jackson Chourio, are safe
Oct 14, 2025; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; Milwaukee Brewers right fielder Jackson Chourio (11) hits a solo home run against the Los Angeles Dodgers in the first inning during game two of the NLCS round for the 2025 MLB playoffs at American Family Field. Mandatory Credit: Benny Sieu-Imagn Images
Among the players that are part of the Brewers organization that live in (and play winter ball) in the country of Venezuela are Jeferson Quero, Andruw Monasterio, and Chourio. All three are expected to play roles on the Major League roster this year.
Fortunately, Matt Arnold announced today that the team has made contact with their players and, more importantly, they are safe:
Matt Arnold said Brewers officials have contacted all of their players in Venezuela in recent days.
“We’re still trying to gather information on the situation just like everyone else,” Arnold said. “But we’ve been in touch with all of the guys and we know that they’re safe.”
— Adam McCalvy (@AdamMcCalvy) January 5, 2026
Two-time All-Star catcher William Contreras is also from Venezuela, though it is not known publicly if he was there at the time of Maduro’s arrest.
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