DR1 Daily News - Dominican Republic

After a meeting with Pablo Ulloa, director of the Office of the Ombudsman, the representative of Major League Baseball commissioner Junior Noboa and representatives of the ministries of Public Health and the National Council for Childhood, Sports Minister Kelvin Cruz announced unregulated baseball academies will have 45 days to register or face suspension.

The action was taken after the death of a 14-year old Ismael Ureña at the Yordi Cabrera training academy made headlines. Investigators confirmed the child had received a horse injection to improve his playing. Two of the deceased’s brothers survived the same procedure.

The move announced by the Ministry of Sports that seeks to standardize the process of signing young baseball prospects, comes after the meeting with various government agencies and baseball industry stakeholders. Baseball recruits are regarded as “products”...