The Los Angeles Dodgers are riding high this season, and one of the key contributors has been their young outfielder, Andy Pages.
But behind his impressive .290 average, 12 home runs and 40 RBIs, lies a personal challenge tied to national politics and immigration law. One specific Trump-era executive order is making it harder for him to bring his loved ones from Cuba to the United States.
Since entering office, President Donald Trump issued Executive Order 14161, which was later signed into effect on June 4. The policy places restrictions on travelers from seven nations-Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan and Venezuela-preventing them from entering the U.S.
While his Dodger teammate Miguel Rojas, Venezuelan, isn’t drastically affected-thanks to his family’s established residence in Miami-Pages’ situation is far more complicated, as most of his relatives still live in Cuba.
According to Los Angeles Times, Pages has been lobbying for a chance to get his family stateside for years. Echoing his persistence, Pages told the Times, “Hope is always there… But you have to follow the rules, get the papers, do whatever it takes to make sure everything’s OK. And then get here and stay here. I’m just trying, trying until they can leave.”
Despite constantly navigating bureaucratic hurdles, he remains committed to one day seeing his family reunited.
In a separate interview with MLB.com back in 2024, Pages revealed that “outside of his wife, his family hasn’t seen him play in person for seven years.” It’s a poignant reminder of the personal sacrifices underpinning his ascent in pro baseball.
Signing with the Dodgers in 2018 as an international amateur free agent, he became a top prospect in 2022.
Now, at age 24, Pages has nearly matched both his rookie season home run and RBI totals-despite playing roughly half as many games. He also joined the Dodgers’ postseason push last October, where he slugged two home runs during Game 5 of the NLCS-even though he didn’t see action in the World Series. The result: a World Series ring after his first full major league season.
Growth, performance and implicit pressure
On the field, Pages has quickly established himself as one of baseball’s emerging talents. With 12 home runs, 40 RBIs and a .333 on-base percentage, he’s become a significant presence in the Dodgers’ outfield and lineup. His OPS of .825 sits at a robust 132 OPS+, showing he’s outperformed league-average batters by a wide margin. Not bad for a 24-year-old just entering his third full season.
Yet every time Pages steps to the plate, he’s also carrying emotional and symbolic weight off the field. His play is not only under the gaze of scouts and fans, but also his family, still in Cuba, still hoping for a glimpse of their son’s rise to stardom. Each month of separation accompanies a layer of stress, intensified by Executive Order 14161’s restrictions.
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