The Confederation of Pan American Baseball (COPABE) has announced that the Junior 18U Pan American Championships have been rescheduled for Nov. 18-27 in Cartagena, Colombia.

The dates of the event were moved after a natural disaster occurred in a nearby town known as San Francisco. Thousands of residents have been displaced due to structural damage to houses and buildings in the neighborhood. The mayor of Cartagena felt a postponement of the event was necessary as the government focused on a response to the disaster.

USA Baseball will still have players return to the National Training Complex in Cary, N.C. on Sept. 12 for workouts and exhibition games. The final 20-man roster will be announced at the end of that week and all players and coaches will return to their respective homes. The team will then reconvene in Miami on Nov. 11 for a training period before flying to Colombia on Nov. 16.

The date change could have a profound effect on Team USA's choices for the final roster. The staff is currently in contact with the players on the current 28-man roster, but several could back out with the date change. With the idea of missing time in school aside, some of the players also participate in football and were willing to miss part of their season with an expected return date in early October. Also, pitchers typically shut down in November to let their arms recover before the spring season begins.