Pirates' Cervelli troubled by unrest in home country of Venezuela

With protests over Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro escalating in recent days, including 13 people killed in one day, Venezuela-born baseball players are feeling the ripple effect.

Pittsburgh Pirates catcher Francisco Cervelli, born in Valencia, expressed his growing concern with the safety of friends, family, and others in Venezuela, according to ESPN's Marly Rivera.

"Every day I get messages from friends and family who have no food, who have no medicine for their little girls, who have no diapers," Cervelli said. "I don't recognize this Venezuela. It's really difficult. The very first thing I do every single day is look at my phone to see what has happened. It's extremely critical what's happening back home."

The protests in the Venezuelan capital of Caracas are critical of Maduro, who is accused of not upholding democracy and has been blamed for the country's rapid economic inflation.

The military has been brought in.

Cervelli has been able to bring most of his own family stateside, but he continues to worry about the people left behind. His frustration has grown as he feels nothing is being done to help from outside sources.

"I am not suffering as much as those who have taken to the streets, but I am suffering with everything that's happening," Cervelli said. "I also suffer seeing that nobody does anything within the international community, with a government that is only making fun of people who are protesting in the streets with a Bible in their hand, with no clothes on, with no weapons, and they are asked to step aside and don't let them be able to express themselves the way the law says they can."

Other Venezuelan MLB players, including Texas Rangers catcher Robinson Chirinos and Kansas City Royals catcher Salvador Perez, among others, have taken to social media to voice their support for those struggling in Venezuela.