Royals' Perez rebukes MLB's Venezuelan winter league ban: 'I don't like it'

Kansas City Royals catcher Salvador Perez is upset Major League Baseball has banned players from playing in the Venezuelan Professional Baseball League this winter, according to The Kansas City Star's Lynn Worthy.

Perez, a native of Venezuela, said he and other major leaguers from the country plan to speak with Major League Baseball Players Association executive director Tony Clark about what can be done, Worthy notes.

The league's decision last week to implement the ban is the result of U.S. President Donald Trump's executive order to impose new economic sanctions on Venezuela's government, which has come under fire due in part to the low voter turnout in the country's 2018 presidential election.

"I don't like it, seriously," the 29-year-old said. "I don't know why (they) do that, because players like me - in the big leagues for a long time - we don't need to play in Venezuela. We don't have to play. We do because we like our fans. They don't have a visa to come here to watch you play. That's why we do that."

Perez admitted he's more concerned about how minor-league players, who are also reportedly included in the ban, will be impacted.

"Guys in High-A, Double-A, people who don't play in the big leagues, they still need the money because they only get paid here until September," the six-time All-Star said. "How are they going to survive after that? They're not going to let them play in the Dominican or play in another country. I don't like it.

"It's not for me, not for Wilson Ramos, it's for the young guys. They need it. They need the money. They need to play there."

Venezuelan baseball officials have reportedly asked the United States Department of the Treasury to make an exception.