Cardinals Catcher Brayan Pena to Join Army Reserves (UPDATE: MLB Prohibits It)

UPDATE: Apparently Brayan Pena won’t be able to join the Army Reserves after all, as his contract prohibits it.

You know how you feel the day after New Years Eve? Wait, no, not the hangover. Instead, I mean the feeling of motivation, of change, of action. Every year, people say things like, “I’m gonna go to the gym – for the next two weeks!” or “I’m gonna cut out carbs – besides bread, of course!” or “I’m gonna join the army – wait, I … what?

Okay, that last one might not be applicable to you or to New Years Eve, for that matter, but it is to Brayan Pena and the day after Independence Day. Check out his plans for the offseason, announced on July 5:

https://twitter.com/cuban2727/status/750400171284901888

Well, that’s certainly one way to stay in shape.

Pena, 34, is a Cuba-born catcher, currently playing for the St. Louis Cardinals. Other than on baseball, you may recognize his name from his unbelievably good (no, seriously) piece on defecting from Cuba and becoming an American citizen in The Players’ Tribune.

After an already fascinating (and sometimes scary) adventure of a life, Pena will now add one more feather to his cap: the Army Reserves. I’m not sure there’s much consensus on what the manliest of men look like, but a guy like Pena can’t be too far off.

written by

Michael Cerami began covering the Chicago Cubs for Bleacher Nation as a part-time contributor in 2015. One year later, he joined Bleacher Nation full-time, covering the Chicago Cubs and Major League Baseball. Today, Michael runs Bleacher Nation, contributing as a writer (Cubs, MLB) and an editor for all sections of the site, including the Chicago Bears, Bulls, and Blackhawks, as well as MLB, NBA, NHL, and NFL. In 2019, Michael was the co-host of NBC Sports Chicago's Cubs Post-Game Show Outside the Ivy. You can find him on Twitter/X @Michael_Cerami

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