Rockies' Gonzalez: Venezuela is like 'living in a war'

Amid turmoil in his native Venezuela, Colorado Rockies outfielder Carlos Gonzalez expressed the concern he and his compatriots have over the hostilities in the country.

"I love going there every offseason," Gonzalez told Danny Knobler of Bleacher Report, "but I always tell my wife that I would never take a chance. The way my family describes how the streets are, (it's like) they're living in a war. I won't go there."

Gonzalez added that the conflict at home will inevitably come up any time the 31-year-old is speaking with a fellow Venezuelan.

"Venezuelans, we only talk about politics now," he said. "If you see someone from Venezuela, it's the first thing that comes up."

Miguel Cabrera and Francisco Cervelli have also been outspoken about the disorder in Venezuela, with Cervelli even protesting Nicolas Maduro's government by holding a Venezuelan flag upside down prior to a Pittsburgh Pirates game in May.