Left-hander Naykel Cruz from Matanzas has been announced as a new player for Parma Baseball for the 2026 Serie A Oro season—the top tier of Italian baseball and is already in the country. He could possibly make his debut on May 1st against Bologna.
He arrives following health issues affecting Erly Casanova and fills the team’s quota for foreign players. Cruz will more than likely be part of a pitching rotation tandem with his countrymen Raymond Figueredo. Cruz is considered one of the top prospects in Cuban baseball, which tells you the current state of baseball on the island.
The southpaw was released by the Orioles in February and was unable to participate in the World Baseball Classic with Cuba. This puts an end to his participation in Cuba’s Liga Elite before it starts. Italy now represents a new opportunity for a player seeking stability.
Can Naykel Cruz relaunch his career in European baseball? In his career the hurler has seen action in the Liga Mexicana de Béisbol with the Piratas de Campeche posting an 0-2 record and 9.82 ERA in seven starts. Last year he saw action in the Dominican Summer League with the Baltimore Orioles. Cruz was also part of Cuba’s 2023 WBC team.