Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Yariel Rodriguez was designated for assignment by the AL East franchise earlier this month. He was outrighted to Triple-A Buffalo after being removed from the 40-man roster.
While Rodriguez is navigating his way through Triple-A, his wife, Gabriela, is enjoying the 2026 FIFA World Cup action. She shared her allegiance with Portuguese soccer star Cristiano Ronaldo after their third and final group stage game against Colombia over the weekend.
Following the game in Miami, Gabriela shared pictures of herself in Ronaldo’s Portuguese jersey with his No. 7 on the back.
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Ronaldo is one of the biggest athletes in the world with a remarkable global following. He is leading Portugal’s bid for their first World Cup in this year’s tournament. They secured a spot in the knockout round after a 0-0 draw against Colombia.
Yariel Rodriguez opened about “sacrifices” after Blue Jays move
The Blue Jays pitcher and Gabriela reportedly tied the knot in February 2024 before his stint with Toronto. They also share a son and Rodriguez opened up about the struggles of leaving his family behind when he played in Japan.
“It’s a big sacrifice when you leave your family behind, especially your kid. I was pretty much alone,” Rodriguez said. “When you don’t have your family, you don’t have that support you really need. The sacrifice is huge. But I understood back then the challenges. I knew I had to go through it. It’s the way it is.”
Rodriguez, who joined the Blue Jays on a five-year, $32 million deal, spent three seasons in the Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) for the Chunichi Dragons.
The 29-year-old reliever was demoted earlier this month after 10 appearances. He posted a disastrous 7.71 ERA with a 2.04 WHIP, surrendering 12 hits and giving up eight earned runs in only 9.1 innings.
Edited by Chaitanya Prakash
