FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. -- Catcher Julio Vinas' microscopic chances for a spot on the Orioles' Opening Day roster ended yesterday when he was reassigned to the club's minor-league camp in Sarasota, Fla.

He has experienced worse. The disappointment of being asked to travel across the state hardly compared to last weekend's ambivalence over accompanying the team to a place his parents once fled.

"It's been an interesting few days," Vinas said.

Vinas' plight was largely overshadowed among the anticipation and hype surrounding the Orioles' historic two-day trip to Cuba and Sunday's 3-2 exhibition win against a team of Cuban all-stars. While Dominican-born starting pitcher Juan Guzman elected not to make the trip out of respect for his Cuban neighbors and employees, Vinas went along despite his parents' painful ties to the island nation.

Vinas' father, Umberto, left Cuba shortly before the Communist overthrow of the Batiste regime. His mother escaped shortly after. Resentment toward the Castro regime has never abated.

"You definitely don't want to do anything if Fidel Castro is going to benefit from it," Vinas said. "But I'm not a big-name player. That's why I had to go."

Umberto Vinas trained racehorses at Hialeah Race Track before dying two years ago. However, Vinas sought the advice of his remaining family and was advised to go.

The Major League Baseball Players Association had counseled its members that anyone opposed to the trip did not have to go. It was during the March 13 meeting that Guzman stood up and first expressed his concerns. Manager Ray Miller altered his rotation shortly afterward, allowing Guzman to miss what ordinarily would have been his scheduled start Sunday in Havana.

Since Vinas has never been on a major-league team's regular-season roster, he is not represented by the players association. Coupled with his uncertain status within the organization, he hardly possessed the leverage to object.

"I'm not a big-name player who can say yes or no to going," said Vinas, 26, a nonroster player who remains a resident of the Miami suburb of Hialeah. "When you're in my position, you pretty much do what you're told."

The Orioles arrived in Cuba after sunset Saturday. They entered Havana with the decaying city in shadows caused by sporadic street lights. Vinas got a better look on the team's bus ride to Latin American Stadium on Sunday morning and was stirred by the view.

Remembering his parents' descriptions of what once resembled paradise, Vinas felt a surge of anger mixed with sadness.

"You've got to see their point. It's a tough thing to see," he said. "It's one thing to hear about it. It's another thing to see it. It's tough."

Vinas stationed himself near the bullpen during most of the pre-game festivities -- "I was pretty much a shadow" -- and felt revulsion for Castro's presence.

The Orioles later visited the Palacio de la Revolucion where they were greeted by Castro, who conversed with Miller while the players formed a semicircle around their manager. Vinas, however, was not among the gathering.

"I stayed as far away as possible. I had a stomachache for about 10 minutes and went to the bathroom," Vinas said.

Had yesterday's roster move come Friday, Vinas would not have faced the quandary. Reminded of the irony, he half-smiled, paused and offered a statement colored with regret and appreciation.

"At least I know where my family's from," said Vinas. "It was probably my only chance to visit."

Pub Date: 3/30/99