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Carlos Tabares, a legend of Cuban baseball and former center fielder for the Industriales de La Habana, is recovering well in Miami after undergoing surgery to remove a malignant tumor from his kidney, as reported by sports journalist Yasel Porto on his Facebook page Dporto Sports.
Tabares himself confirmed his improvement with a direct message: "I am much better, thank God. Thank you very much to everyone who has worried about my health during these days. Now it's time to recover."
According to the text signed by collaborator Pucho Oroza, the surgical intervention took place about a month ago. The tumor mass measured approximately 13 centimeters and was completely removed, successfully preserving a part of the affected kidney and leaving no aftereffects.
Oroza described the moment using baseball language: "Carlos Tabares has won one of the most important games of his career, as he has always accustomed us to, giving his all on the field. The former Captain Azul has stolen a home run from death and, in another masterful play, has triumphed over cancer."
The publication highlights that Tabares continues his recovery with a focus on personal growth and a digital venture for selling high-value items.
Tabares played in 25 National Series with Industriales and accumulated over 1,000 hits throughout his career, along with 102 home runs. He was an Olympic champion with Cuba at the Athens 2004 Olympics and won a silver medal at the 2006 First World Baseball Classic. With Industriales, he secured six national championships.
One of the most memorable decisions of his career was rejecting millionaire offers from Major League Baseball, including five million dollars from the Cincinnati Reds and eight million from the Chicago Cubs, to stay in Cuba.
He officially retired on January 11, 2018, at the Estadio Latinoamericano before more than 50,000 fans, in a farewell gathering that became etched in the memory of Cuban baseball.
After emigrating to the United States, Tabares settled in Miami, where he works as a financial agent, teaches baseball, and participates in popular softball leagues. Just weeks before his surgery was made public, he sparked a debate in the Cuban exile community by responding to criticism for accepting a gift from Gerardo Hernández Nordelo, the national coordinator of the CDR and one of the so-called "Cuban Five Heroes."
At that moment, Tabares stated, "The past is the past; it has nothing to do with what one has in the present."
Oroza closed his text with an image that encapsulates the sentiments of those who followed his career: "The star outfielder of Industriales and Cuba is in circulation, ready to score another important run in his life."
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