Baseball: Dragons can’t contact Cuban reliever Rodriguez

The Central League’s Chunichi Dragons confirmed Wednesday that they have been unable to contact Cuban reliever Yariel Rodriguez amid reports he has defected and is currently in the Dominican Republic.

The 26-year-old Rodriguez was expected to arrive in Japan on Wednesday after contributing to Cuba’s semifinal finish in the World Baseball Classic. Rodriguez tied for the CL lead last year in “hold points,” the total of holds and relief wins, with 45.

Hiroyuki Kato, the Dragons’ official representative to Nippon Professional Baseball said the team had not been in touch with Rodriguez for the past...