Cuba says U.S. greenlights MLB players for World Baseball Classic

FILE PHOTO: Baseball bats lay on a field during a training session in Havana, Cuba, May 11, 2022. Success in baseball, Cuba's national past time and a favorite pursuit of former Cuban leader Fidel Castro, is increasingly measured beyond its borders. That mirrors a broader exodus of Cubans from the stagnating communist-run island racked by social and economic crisis. REUTERS/Alexandre Meneghini SEARCH "MENEGHINI CUBA BASEBALL" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES./File Photo

Cuba said on Saturday the United States had granted permission for some of its top ballplayers to participate in the World Baseball Classic on the national team.

Juan Reinaldo Perez Pardo, president of the Cuban Baseball Federation, said in a statement that organizers of the event scheduled for March had received a license allowing Cubans currently playing in the Major Leagues or residing in the United States to join the Cuban team.