Jose Iglesias is trading the Mets’ dugout for a Broadway stage, and he’s doing it with the same kind of energy that made him a favorite in Queens.
The 36-year-old will make history on Aug. 27, when he begins a six-week run as Narrator in "Buena Vista Social Club" at the Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre. That makes him the first Major League Baseball player to perform on Broadway, a role Iglesias says he’s embracing fully.
“It’s very smooth. The energy, it’s an excellent musical.
I’m surrounded by great teammates over there,” Iglesias said before throwing out the first pitch ahead of the Mets' game on Tuesday at Citi Field. “They support me on a daily basis.
They know this is totally new for me.
“I believe it’s the first time in MLB history that a Latin player is acting on Broadway. It’s a fun responsibility that I have in my hands. I’m grabbing it with two hands, just like a ground ball, and then I won’t let it go.”
That confidence comes from a 2024 Mets run that turned Iglesias into more than just another veteran infielder. When he arrived on May 31, the club was 10 games under .500. From there, the Mets caught fire, finishing 67-40 and punching their ticket to the playoffs on the final day of the regular season before reaching the National League Championship Series.
Iglesias was right in the middle of it, hitting .337 in 85 games and posting a .375/.419/.482 line with runners in scoring position. He was a steady hand during a wild climb, and the team’s identity shifted right along with the results.
“The way how things started that year and how we flipped it as a team, it was unique,” Iglesias said. “It’s what baseball’s about, that culture, that family energy and competing.
We never gave up. Regardless of the results, we never gave up as a group and we really love each other as human beings.”
But the feel-good ride ended with a harder reality. Iglesias had been searching for an apartment in New York City, expecting another chapter with the Mets, but the call never came. He eventually signed a minor league deal with the Padres in March 2025.
“I personally don’t have to agree with it, but I respect their decisions completely,” Iglesias said. “But just detaching me with this organization hurt me.
That’s true. I really enjoy being around these guys.
And that goes way beyond the ninth inning. That goes way beyond a baseball season.
It’s a personal feeling and a special relationship that I have, not just with the players but with the staff, with the security, with everybody around the stadium. It was a family energy that I definitely miss.”
Now he’s channeling that same passion into a very different kind of performance. The Broadway opportunity came from a producer this year, and Iglesias saw the fit immediately.
"Buena Vista Social Club" is built around a group of Cuban musicians who came together for an album produced in seven days in 1996; that album later won a Grammy. The musical opened in March 2025 and was nominated for 10 Tony Awards.
For Iglesias, the draw was obvious: music, New York, and a chance to represent something bigger than himself.
“I’m not an actor. I’m putting a lot of time and effort in those rehearsals,” Iglesias said.
“I have a big responsibility on my shoulders. I’m representing Cuban music on the biggest stage in the world, and I want to do it right.
I take it with discipline. It’s definitely the baseball discipline, the routines and everything.
I’m kind of translating it to a theater.”
He called the chance a privilege and said he’s leaning on his fellow performers as he prepares for his debut. Even with all the unknowns, Iglesias sounds comfortable with the leap.
“I’m in a lot better shape than a lot of people out there, I’m telling you,” Iglesias said with a laugh. “If it happens, I’m ready.
If it don’t, I’m ready. It’s just however life comes.
“I always look at the positive out of it. For me, it’s make an impact.
This time I get to do it through music, through acting. God knows what happens next year.
Nobody knows what happens tomorrow, so why worry?”
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