They're two of the most common and most frustrating words in the baseball lexicon, and they are only uttered at this juncture of the calendar year: "Visa issues."
It is not uncommon for foreign-born players to be a step behind their teammates arriving in spring training camps if their government-issued paperwork is not up-to-date.
More than half of the San Diego Padres' 40-man roster players are not native to the United States. So, perhaps it was unsurprising when two players scheduled to be in camp were late arrivals: outfielder Jurickson Profar and pitcher Wandy Peralta.
As the San Diego Union-Tribune reported, the issue is quite simple:
Jurickson Profar, who agreed to a one-year deal with the Padres on Monday, was not at camp as he awaits a visa in his native Curacao.
Players cannot begin the visa process until they have a job, which is also what has delayed reliever Wandy Peralta in the Dominican Republic.
Profar, 31, and Peralta, 32, are veterans. While both players finished last season in different organizations, their ability to acclimate to a new team is at most a minor concern. And even though he ended last season with the Colorado Rockies, this will be Profar's fifth consecutive spring training in the Padres' camp.
Visa-related delays are usually brief for professional athletes. Their teams usually must bring several players in from around the globe each spring, and MLB has protocols in place to make the process as swift as possible.
As reported by Barry Bloom for Global Sport Matters:
Typically, a team signs a player to a contract and the P-1 visa allows that player to remain eligible in the U.S., during the length of the contract. At the end of the season (or contract), that athlete must go home.
“The individual teams arrange for the visas of their players,” said Jack Bair, the Giants’ long-time executive vice president of legal and government affairs. “And baseball has an immigration expert available to help. It’s fairly simple. Most players are brought over on P-1 visas and its [sic] fairly routine.”
The Padres are likely expecting Peralta and Profar in camp soon, with few speedbumps on the road to getting them acclimated to the new season.
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