February 19, 20206 yr As a post note on the Hardy article, Do-Hyoung Park mentions that Fernando Romero is not in camp. "He is stuck in the Dominican Republic as he sorts out visa/immigration issues." https://www.mlb.com/twins/news/blaine-hardy-returns-from-injury-to-fight-for-roster-spot What gives? Should this not have been taken care of weeks ago? It is not like Romero didn't know that he had to be in the U.S. at this time... Not a good start in his attempt to make the 26 man roster.
February 19, 20206 yr As a post note on the Hardy article, Do-Hyoung Park mentions that Fernando Romero is not in camp. "He is stuck in the Dominican Republic as he sorts out visa/immigration issues." https://www.mlb.com/twins/news/blaine-hardy-returns-from-injury-to-fight-for-roster-spot What gives? Should this not have been taken care of weeks ago? It is not like Romero didn't know that he had to be in the U.S. at this time... Not a good start in his attempt to make the 26 man roster. Yeah, they announced that the first day of pitchers and catchers and said they think he should be back by this week sometime. I'm sure they're in daily contact and he's probably under the same program. But yeah, definitely hurts his chances for Opening Day. Seems like there is 1-2 of these each year. Romero was actually at Twins Fest, so I'm not sure what happened. Wilfredo Tovar also having visa issues.
February 19, 20206 yr As a post note on the Hardy article, Do-Hyoung Park mentions that Fernando Romero is not in camp. "He is stuck in the Dominican Republic as he sorts out visa/immigration issues." https://www.mlb.com/twins/news/blaine-hardy-returns-from-injury-to-fight-for-roster-spot What gives? Should this not have been taken care of weeks ago? It is not like Romero didn't know that he had to be in the U.S. at this time... Not a good start in his attempt to make the 26 man roster.This is totally not on him. It’s very difficult getting all the paperwork in on time ... which is up to the teams, I think ... and some of it is determined by the contract of the individual player. Does Romero have options left beyond this year? That could be a hitch. And going back and forth can be problematic. Did he come to Twins Fest on a tourist visa, and now coming back using a P-1 visa? That could put a hitch in things. Also, while the player gets a P-1 visa, it is very difficult to also bring family with you. It’s really not easy, and sometimes it’s just denied and then you have to refile the paperwork ... this is not on him because he just didn’t get it done on time. But maybe he wasn’t supposed to go back between and did. But who knows what he understood and didn’t because it’s a really complicated process.
February 19, 20206 yr As a post note on the Hardy article, Do-Hyoung Park mentions that Fernando Romero is not in camp. "He is stuck in the Dominican Republic as he sorts out visa/immigration issues." https://www.mlb.com/twins/news/blaine-hardy-returns-from-injury-to-fight-for-roster-spot What gives? Should this not have been taken care of weeks ago? It is not like Romero didn't know that he had to be in the U.S. at this time... Not a good start in his attempt to make the 26 man roster.I used to be annoyed with this kind of stuff thinking it was completely preventable but if he was here for Twins fest with no problems I can understand why that would lead him to believe there should be no problems now. I have no idea what the issues are or how much control he or the team has over it so am not going to hold it against him. As long as he is able to get his work in what he is losing is instruction time for a week. I don't think that should be make or break.
February 19, 20206 yr Given the recent trend of politicians getting personally involved in immigration issues, maybe it's easier to get a visa if you play for the Yankees...
February 19, 20206 yr What gives? Should this not have been taken care of weeks ago? It is not like Romero didn't know that he had to be in the U.S. at this time...This is surprisingly common and from what I understand, often not the player's fault.
February 19, 20206 yr This is surprisingly common and from what I understand, often not the player's fault.When I worked in a foreign country, my employers filed everything. When I’m on tour, my employer files everything. Of course, I have paperwork to fill out and sign, but they have staff helping us thr Ugh the process making sure all the forms are filled out correctly. So I’m sure each team has individuals on staff that do this. And sometimes countries can just deny the application. That’s also happened. It’s just a really complicated thing and even if Romero filled out something incorrectly, it’s just really complicated. These forms are not at all intuitive. Thankfully my foreign work travel is down to nothing these days.
February 19, 20206 yr This happens to a handful of players on every team every year. They only miss a few days, not a big chunk of ST. Non-issue.
February 20, 20206 yr No way would the team rely on the player to navigate the immigration on either side of the border/sea; it's their investment. Lot's administratively can go wrong in these complex multi-nation, multi-lingual bureaucratic processes, without either party being negligent. That said, I was really looking forward to seeing something from Romero this Spring. Edited February 20, 20206 yr by PseudoSABR
February 20, 20206 yr This is totally not on him. It’s very difficult getting all the paperwork in on time ... which is up to the teams, I think ... and some of it is determined by the contract of the individual player. Does Romero have options left beyond this year? That could be a hitch. And going back and forth can be problematic. Did he come to Twins Fest on a tourist visa, and now coming back using a P-1 visa? That could put a hitch in things. Also, while the player gets a P-1 visa, it is very difficult to also bring family with you. It’s really not easy, and sometimes it’s just denied and then you have to refile the paperwork ... this is not on him because he just didn’t get it done on time. But maybe he wasn’t supposed to go back between and did. But who knows what he understood and didn’t because it’s a really complicated process. I`m sure he came here on a tourist visa for Twin`s Fest & he had to go back because he couldn`t stay on that visa, he needs that P-1. Like you said it`s complicated, sometimes there`s jealousy problems on their side of the process. Hope he can make up ground!
February 20, 20206 yr Well the rules have to be published so somebody should understand them. WeirdBelieve me, it’s still complicated. Having had to fill out visa paperwork for other countries, if my employer hadn’t had someone show us and tell us exactly what to write where, it would be very difficult. As I said, none of it is at all intuitive and is a complicated process. And once submitted, even if you meet all the deadlines, something can hold it up. And for Romero, he’s not a big name star, and he’s got how many years left? Anything can cause a hitch. And I’m sure the Twins are doing everything possible to clear it up. This is just how it is and a player or two from just about every team likely has problems. Hopefully he will be here soon!
February 20, 20206 yr Romero is bad anyway and probably wont make the active roster when spring training lets out. This affects the team very little.
February 20, 20206 yr I'm reminded of a story about Red Sox shortstop prospect Rey Quiñones, the season after he was traded to the Mariners. He showed up late for spring training, telling the Mariners he had visa problems. ‘Uh, Rey,’ team president Chuck Armstrong told him, ‘you’re from Puerto Rico. You don’t need a visa.'. Romero being from the Dominican Republic means he does indeed need a visa. I just hope this incident isn't a cover or lame excuse for something else, like it evidently was for Quiñones.
February 20, 20206 yr I'm reminded of a story about Red Sox shortstop prospect Rey Quiñones, the season after he was traded to the Mariners. He showed up late for spring training, telling the Mariners he had visa problems. ‘Uh, Rey,’ team president Chuck Armstrong told him, ‘you’re from Puerto Rico. You don’t need a visa.'. Romero being from the Dominican Republic means he does indeed need a visa. I just hope this incident isn't a cover or lame excuse for something else, like it evidently was for Quiñones.Classic. Thanks for the story
February 22, 20206 yr The news from the Twins today is that Romero is likely to miss most, if not all, of spring training due to the visa issues.
February 22, 20206 yr The news from the Twins today is that Romero is likely to miss most, if not all, of spring training due to the visa issues. So sad! I`d have like him to have a good ST.
February 25, 20206 yr Like others said, this is not on Romero. I've done a bit of international travel, and my company handled all of this. I've been denied entry too, so I've been there interestingly enough... My bigger concern is that Romero is suddenly 3 years older at the end of all of this. That's something that sometimes happens in these situations.
February 25, 20206 yr Like others said, this is not on Romero. I've done a bit of international travel, and my company handled all of this. I've been denied entry too, so I've been there interestingly enough... My bigger concern is that Romero is suddenly 3 years older at the end of all of this. That's something that sometimes happens in these situations.Well until we know what happened, we can't say if it's on Romero or not. In your post, you hint at an age discrepancy being a possible cause. Wouldn't lying about his age be on Romero?
February 29, 20206 yr Like others said, this is not on Romero. I've done a bit of international travel, and my company handled all of this. I've been denied entry too, so I've been there interestingly enough... My bigger concern is that Romero is suddenly 3 years older at the end of all of this. That's something that sometimes happens in these situations.it's almost certainly on Romero, no matter who's handling it. And BTW, MLB teams typically handle the entire process. Almost all foreign athletes enter the US on P1 Visas. He's had numerous P1 Visas before, which are simple to get with a major or minor league contract, why would there be a problem this year, unless Romero's situation change?
March 1, 20206 yr Do-Hyoung Park later relayed some very important details regarding this story. Here's a link to the full report. "According to the club, Romero arrived at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport in Atlanta ahead of the Twins' Feb. 12 reporting date for pitchers and catchers and was turned back to the Dominican Republic due to a customs issue. Romero has to remain there as he submits paperwork to obtain another visa." So Romero got to the states early, actually. There apparently was not an issue with him getting whatever required paperwork in order on time, the issue arose with customs. Still no details on what that means/what's really going on, but that detail seemed worth pointing out.
March 1, 20206 yr Not to be political but that's easy. The current administration is making it more difficult we're citizens of certain countries to get visas to get into the United States.Please don't go there. Political posts will hijack threads. It will not be permitted.
March 1, 20206 yr Well until we know what happened, we can't say if it's on Romero or not.In your post, you hint at an age discrepancy being a possible cause. Wouldn't lying about his age be on Romero?that would be yes... but I was responding to the implication that Romero didn't get his paperwork in order... that's on the team.
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