MLB under pressure for Edwin Díaz case after statements and accusations about cockfights in Puerto Rico

The controversy around Edwin Diaz escalated in recent days after animal rights organizations formally requested MLB investigate the closer of the Dodgers for alleged links with cockfights in Puerto Rico.

However, before the public accusations broke out, the Puerto Rican reliever had already spoken openly about his relationship with this practice in an interview given last March to the Puerto Rican newspaper The New Day.

Now, those statements returned to the center of the debate after the pressure exerted by animal groups on Major League Baseball.

The organizations that ask to investigate Edwin Díaz

The controversy gained momentum after Animal Wellness Action and the Heart for a Human Economy sent a letter to commissioner Rob Manfred Jr. requesting a formal investigation into the Puerto Rican pitcher.

According to the organizations, there are photographs, promotional publications, videos and journalistic reports that relate to Edwin Diaz with cockfighting events in Puerto Rico.

In addition, they asked that MLB opt out if the reliever engaged in conduct that could be considered harmful to the image of baseball and demanded possible sanctions if any violation of league policies is proven.

So far, there are no criminal charges against the player and neither the Dodgers nor MLB have issued an official position on the case.

Edwin Díaz’s statements that have now gone viral again

In the midst of the controversy, the interview that Díaz gave to The New Day in March 2026, several months before the recent accusations.

In that report, the pitcher spoke about his connection with cockfighting and explained that it was a tradition that he had known since he was a child.

“It is a hobby that I have followed since I was a child. It is factual in Puerto Ricothank God,” declared the Puerto Rican closer during that interview.

The publication also showed images of Díaz inside a gallistic coliseum in Isla Verde during a day off from the World Baseball Classic. The report also indicated that members of his family participated by bringing roosters to the tournament held that day.

The situation comes at a difficult time for the Dodgers closer

The case adds pressure to an already complicated season for Edwin Diazwho has barely been active in 2026 after undergoing surgery on his right elbow in April.

The reliever arrived at the Dodgers with high expectations after signing a $69 million contract for three seasons, so any possible MLB investigation could increase scrutiny over his public image and his future with the Los Angeles organization.

Meanwhile, expectations are growing among fans and analysts about whether Major League Baseball will apply its non-public conduct policy, especially due to the media impact that the case has generated.

Wayne Pacelle launched strong accusations against the reliever

Wayne Pacelle, president of Animal Wellness Action and of Heart for a Human Economywas especially critical of the Puerto Rican pitcher.

“Mr. Díaz is knowingly violating the law and participating in violent crimes and illegal gambling,” Pacelle said. “MLB would not ignore someone involved in dogfighting, organized crime and illegal gambling facilitated by criminal associations. His participation in illegal cockfighting in Puerto Rico involves crimes of the same magnitude.”

The statements further increased pressure on the Dodgers reliever, whose case could be under review by the commissioner’s office if MLB considers intervening.

Are cockfights legal in Puerto Rico?

The debate about the cockfights in Puerto Rico remains complex due to the clash between cultural tradition and US federal legislation.

Although the activity was regulated and widely practiced on the island for decades, in 2019 the United States Congress extended the federal ban on animal fighting to all US territories, including Puerto Rico.

Subsequently, the United States Supreme Court left this prohibition in force by rejecting legal appeals promoted by sectors linked to the Puerto Rican poultry industry.

Despite this, cockfights continue to have support among some sectors of Puerto Rico that consider the practice part of the island’s cultural tradition, keeping open a social and factual debate that has now also reached one of the best-known Puerto Rican figures in MLB.

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