"Craig Counsell said that Moises Ballesteros should be in Cub camp by Saturday or Sunday. He is making his way through Columbia with frustrating visa issues.- Bruce Levine (@MLBBruceLevine) February 19, 2026"
""We're optimistic right now that he's going to be here shortly," Counsell said, per Cubs.com. "If that should happen, I think we're in a good place. He's going to be behind in terms of when you see him in a game, but with kind of the normal Spring Training schedule, I feel confident in the number of games we're looking at here.""
"Obviously we all know how challenging the immigration environment is, but it is nevertheless deeply frustrating to see someone who has lived and worked in the United States for multiple years now having such trouble at a critical time in his career."
Moises Ballesteros has been delayed by visa issues in Venezuela and is traveling through Colombia to reach the United States. The Chicago Cubs and Ballesteros have pursued all available options to resolve the immigration holdup. Manager Craig Counsell indicated optimism that Ballesteros could arrive this weekend, though he would be behind in game readiness. Counsell expects the regular Spring Training schedule and remaining Cactus League games to provide sufficient in-game opportunities for Ballesteros to ramp up. Ballesteros has lived and worked in the United States for multiple years, and the delay adds frustration and uncertainty ahead of the season. If arrival takes an additional week or two, the team still expects multiple weeks of exhibition play to get him to game condition.
Read at Bleacher Nation
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