Amid optimism, U.S.-Cuba relations challenge baseball players
Yasmany Tomas took his last practice swings, packed his bat and carried his oversized No. 24 duffel bag toward the clubhouse. On the way, a dozen fans waited just outside a fence, calling the 6-foot-2 Cuban slugger’s name, holding out balls and gloves and begging for autographs and selfies. “Where’s the fat guy?” the 24-year-old Tomas asked, suddenly uneasy with the small frenzy. He called again for his interpreter and full-time assistant, Ariel Prieto. “Gordo! Gordo!” he shouted, using the…