Anaheim, Calif. — Seattle Mariners outfielder Julio Rodríguez has been nominated for the 2026 Roberto Clemente Award, recognizing his extensive philanthropic work through his No Limits Foundation. The award honors the MLB player who best represents baseball through extraordinary character, community involvement, philanthropy, and positive contributions on and off the field.
Rodríguez on the Nomination
Speaking from the dugout at Angel Stadium before Monday’s game, Rodríguez emphasized that the recognition is secondary to the cause.
“I always thought that whenever I’ll be in the position to give back, that I would do it with no hesitation. Thankfully, I’m in a position right now where I can give back. That’s why I’ve been doing the things I’ve been doing for my hometown. It’s cool to be nominated for this award. But at the end of the day, I feel like the most important thing is doing it for the cause. It’s more important than any recognition that you get.”
He added:
“It means a lot. It means a lot just to be nominated for that specific award. I take a lot of pride and enjoy doing things for other people, like helping underprivileged youth and creating opportunities for them. To be in the conversation for that award means a lot.”
Family Influence and Foundation Launch
Rodríguez credits his parents for instilling the values that drive his charitable work.
“Before everything, before baseball, before being here, I remember, my dad and my mom. They showed me the ways on that. They were always doing things impacting the community and my hometown.”
After participating in numerous Mariners community outreach programs, Rodríguez launched the No Limits Foundation in September 2024. The foundation’s mission is to spread his love of baseball and create pathways to success for under-resourced youth. Since inception, it has distributed more than $2 million in cash donations, goods, and services to underprivileged youth globally.
“Where I come from, I know what it’s like to be from there, to have very limited opportunities in many different areas. That’s why my foundation is named ‘No Limits.’ Because I didn’t want to limit it just on the field or just for one single particular cause. I saw a lot of misfortune around and that’s why I wanted to be able to help different kinds of people.”
Impact in Loma de Cabrera and Beyond
The foundation has supported organizations in the U.S. including Baseball Beyond Borders, El Centro de la Raza, You Grow Girl!, and Harvest Against Hunger. In Rodríguez’s hometown of Loma de Cabrera, Dominican Republic, the foundation has served more than 5,000 children through meal and toy distributions, baseball equipment donations, hygiene services, youth sports clinics, and local health initiatives. It also rebuilt the town’s Community Center, which serves 20,000-plus residents.
Many efforts center on the annual Three Kings Day celebration on Jan. 6, which creates safe spaces for youth, provides essential resources, and inspires the next generation of athletes.
Major Project: Sports Complex Renovation
The foundation’s largest project to date renovated the baseball, softball, and soccer complex in Loma de Cabrera — the same field where Rodríguez played as a child. He personally pledged $600,000 toward the $1.2 million project, with additional funding from the MLBPA’s Youth Development Foundation and Mariners Care Foundation. The renovation produced the country’s first-ever public AstroTurf baseball field.
A celebration for the unveiling drew more than a dozen Dominican baseball stars in support.
Next Focus: Environmental Restoration
Rodríguez’s next foundation project targets the Salto River, which runs through Loma de Cabrera and has become contaminated due to development along its banks. He aims to clean the river and restore it as a community recreation area.
“I’ve talked a little bit with the president of my country just to see how we can like relocate some people, give them the better houses and just to be able to clean the river. I want to make it a little area for people to gather and how I remember it to be when I was a kid. We created a lot of memories in that river. That’s where I learned how to swim. I just want to be able to leave my hometown in a better spot.”
Mariners Injury Update: Emerson Hancock
In other Mariners news, right-hander Emerson Hancock (left adductor strain) will throw another bullpen session Wednesday. If he recovers without issues, he could be reinstated from the injured list.
“We’ll be in a position to figure out how to get him back and activate him at that point,”
manager Dan Wilson said. Given the time missed, Hancock may return in a bullpen role rather than rejoining the rotation.
“He’s been down a while, so not having him built up might be a little bit more difficult. We have to see if he’s good on Wednesday, and then see we’ll see how many innings that we realistically feel like we can get from him.”
