NEW YORK — Former Met Jose Iglesias is set to make his Broadway debut later this month in “Buena Vista Social Club” as the Narrator.
The MLB veteran has said that when the call first came, he initially believed the producer who contacted him about joining the show had the wrong number.
“This is something that caught me off guard completely,” he told TMZ, adding that he said yes to the opportunity with “no hesitation whatsoever.”
Iglesias added that he’s not the only one shocked by his sudden shift in career trajectory.
“They think I’m lying at the beginning,” he said of sharing the news with fellow athletes and friends. “I say, ‘Ah yeah, I’m going to be on Broadway,’ and they’ll be like, ‘Shut up, you’re lying.'”
Iglesias said that on top of returning to New York to perform — he played for the Mets in 2024 — the musical also speaks to his roots in a special way. A Cuba native, he told TMZ he’s thrilled the show, about a legendary musical group from Havana, highlights Cuba and Latin American culture.
Iglesias’ six-week limited engagement kicks off on Aug. 27 at the Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre in New York City, but it won’t be the first time he has graced the city with his musical talents. He wowed Mets fans with a performance of his original song “OMG,” released under his stage name Candelita, and it quickly became the team’s unofficial anthem.
Iglesias also told TMZ this is in no way the end to his baseball career and that he does not plan to retire in the near future. Over the course of his career, he has played for teams including the Boston Red Sox, Detroit Tigers, Cincinnati Reds, Baltimore Orioles, Los Angeles Angels, Colorado Rockies and San Diego Padres in addition to the New York Mets.