The Athletic confirmed<\/a> that Cruz, 19, had decided to self-deport and was back in Mexico.<\/p>\nThe Padres\u2019 understanding is that Cruz would lose his work visa for 10 years, but could reapply after five years of good behavior, the Union-Tribune reported.<\/p>\n
Prosecutors had been seeking a felony charge for Cruz, whom the Padres signed in 2024 for a $750,000 bonus.<\/p>\n
He was reportedly arrested in October near an Arizona border town, when cops suspected him of transporting illegal immigrants into the U.S. in a 2020 BMW SUV.<\/p>\n
According to the Union-Tribune, Cruz waived his Miranda rights and said to agents that he knew the people he was transporting were illegal, and that he expected to be paid $1,000 for every individual he picked up.<\/p>\n
Cruz had been rehabbing his elbow following Tommy John surgery when he was apprehended.<\/p>\n
\u201cTo my teammates, the organization, our fans, and my family, I want to express my sincere regret for a recent lapse in judgment that has caused disappointment to many people I deeply respect,\u201d he began in a statement released through the team.<\/p>\n
![\"Humberto](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/humberto-comp.jpg\")
Humberto Cruz of the San Diego Padres poses for a photo on San Diego Padres Minor League Photo Day at Peoria Sports Complex on March 5, 2025 in Peoria, Arizona. Getty Images<\/p>\n
\u201cI understand that my actions have fallen short of the standards expected of me as a professional and as a representative of this organization. I take responsibility for my conduct and recognize the impact it has had on my teammates, the club, and those who support us.<\/p>\n
\u201cTo my teammates and coaches, I apologize for becoming a distraction and for not upholding the level of professionalism you deserve. To the fans, I am sorry for letting you down and for failing to meet the trust placed in me. Your support means a great deal, and I regret not honoring it in the way I should have. To my family, I am grateful for your continued support and understanding during this difficult time.<\/p>\n
\u201cI regret the stress and disappointment this situation has caused. I am committed to reflecting on this moment, learning from it, and taking the appropriate steps to move forward in a positive and responsible manner. I will cooperate fully with the organization and any steps required of me, as I remain focused on personal growth and accountability. Thank you to everyone who has reached out with support and honesty. I understand that trust must be earned, and I am prepared to do that through my actions going forward.\u201d<\/p>\n
Cruz was also sentenced to 30 days in prison, though he received credit for time served.<\/p>\n
He pitched in rookie ball for the Padres in 2024 and 2025 before moving on to Single-A.<\/p>\n
-With AP<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"A top Padres prospect has self-deported to Mexico after pleading guilty to transporting undocumented immigrants within the United…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":225944,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[9207,2301,2106,21522,20,9,11,10,29911,319,58],"class_list":["post-225943","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-new-york","tag-deportation","tag-immigration","tag-mexico","tag-minor-leagues","tag-mlb","tag-new-york","tag-new-york-headlines","tag-new-york-news","tag-san-diego-padres","tag-sports","tag-us-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/225943","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=225943"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/225943\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/225944"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=225943"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=225943"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=225943"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}