Carlos Beltrán, Andruw Jones and Jeff Kent reflect on Hall of Fame road ahead of induction

COOPERSTOWN, N.Y. (AP) — Carlos Beltrán was destined for the Baseball Hall of Fame even before he played a full season in the major leagues. At least that’s what Kansas City Royals great George Brett thought.

On the eve of his induction, Beltrán recounted a story from 1999 when the Royals visited Cooperstown and Brett introduced him to Hall of Famer — and fellow Puerto Rican — Orlando Cepeda.

“I have a baseball and I’m approaching Cepeda for him to sign my baseball, and George said, ‘Let me introduce you to the next Hall of Famer from Puerto Rico. His name is Carlos Beltrán,’” the nine-time All-Star outfielder said Saturday. “And I’m going like, what is he doing? I haven’t played a game and you’re introducing me as a Hall of Famer. I don’t think that’s a good statement.

“George said, `Well, Carlos, everything is possible in life. If you play hard and if you continue to play good and if you continue to develop yourself, this is an opportunity and this is a chance that you could be here.”

Twenty-seven years later, Brett’s prediction came true. Beltrán will be inducted into the Hall of Fame on Sunday alongside Andruw Jones and Jeff Kent, just as Brett and Cepeda were enshrined together as part of the 1999 class.

“Never went through my mind,” Beltrán said. “But I did imagine myself as a baseball player. I did imagine myself as a professional baseball player. I come from a very humble family. I got to see my parents doing a lot of work to push us forward.”

Beltrán was the 1999 AL Rookie of the Year with Kansas City and went on to play 20 years in the majors, including seven seasons apiece with both the Royals and New York Mets. He made the Hall in his fourth year of eligibility on the Baseball Writers' Association of America ballot, securing 84.2% of the vote.

Joining him from the BBWAA ballot is former Atlanta Braves center fielder Andruw Jones, who reached 78.4% in his ninth year. Jones nearly dropped off the ballot after his 2018 debut, when he received only 7.3% of the vote — just above the 5% threshold to get another try.

For Jones, the induction represents the culmination of a patient climb that was supported by his defensive brilliance in center field, where he won 10 straight Gold Gloves from 1998-2007.

And like Beltrán, Jones’ fondest baseball memory came when he was young.

“Just getting that call to make it to the major leagues in ’96. Getting on that plane, flying into Philadelphia and walking into the clubhouse and seeing all these guys that you watch on TV who won the World Series in ‘95 and trying to win another one in ’96,” he said. “That was the best moment of my career, to be honest with you.”

Beltrán and Jones weren’t elected to the Hall immediately during their BBWAA eligibility, but their call eventually came. For Kent, it never did.

A five-time All-Star second baseman, the 2000 NL MVP fell off the BBWAA ballot in 2023 after exhausting his 10 years of eligibility and falling well short each time of the 75% needed for induction. He was elected by a much smaller panel in December 2025, the Contemporary Baseball Era Committee.

Though his path was different, after speaking with other Hall of Famers this weekend, Kent now knows he belongs just the same.

“I’m walking around, talking to guys and I’m getting hugs and I’m getting, ‘Congratulations,’ and I’m getting, ‘You should have been in a long time ago,’ and all those things,” Kent said. “And I’m seeing in their eyes that they’re not saying it just to be nice to me because they want something from me, or they’re just trying to be nice because the cameras are on and it was real. And that’s probably the first time I was able to relax.”

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FILE - Jeff Kent poses for photos after the announcement at a news conference that he was elected to baseball's Hall of Fame during the Major League baseball winter meetings, Monday, Dec. 8, 2025, in Orlando, Fla. (AP Photo/John Raoux, File)

FILE - Former Atlanta Braves player Andruw Jones waves to the crowd as he is honored, Saturday, Sept. 9, 2023, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson, File)

FILE - Carlos Beltran speaks during a news conference before a baseball game between the New York Mets and the Arizona Diamondbacks Tuesday, April 7, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II, File)

SANTA CLARA, Calif. (AP) — Disgruntled receiver Brandon Aiyuk remains in limbo as the San Francisco 49ers opened training camp Saturday with Aiyuk still under contract to the team and unable to sign with another franchise.

Lynch declined to answer any questions Saturday about Aiyuk's status as the former star receiver remains on the reserve/left squad list that he was placed on late last season.

“Brandon is on a ‘left squad’ designation. As such, he’s not on our 90-man roster,” Lynch said. "I’m, personally, and we as an organization, are going to focus on the players that are here. And so, I don’t have anything to say on that, anything to add to that. We wish him well. We wish his family well.”

Aiyuk has had an offseason of social media outbursts and has expressed a desire to play with his former college quarterback Jayden Daniels on the Washington Commanders.

While Lynch has previously said he doesn't expect Aiyuk to play for the 49ers again, the team is under no pressure to make a change to his status until he applies to the league to be reinstated.

San Francisco had placed Aiyuk on the reserve/left squad list late last season after previously voiding $27 million guaranteed in his contract for 2026 for failing to participate in meetings and other team activities.

Aiyuk signed a four-year, $120 million extension just before the start of the 2024 season following a lengthy contract hold-in that kept him out of training camp. He was coming off a 2023 season when he had 75 catches for 1,342 yards and seven touchdowns and was a second-team All-Pro.

Aiyuk had only 25 catches for 374 yards in seven games in 2024 before getting injured. The 28-year-old Aiyuk has 294 catches for 4,305 yards and 25 TDs since being drafted in the first round in 2020.

Star defensive end Nick Bosa has been cleared to start training camp after tearing his ACL last September, while tight end George Kittle and three other 49ers players will begin camp on the physically unable to perform list.

Lynch said Bosa spent most of the offseason doing rehab at the team facility rather than going back home to Florida and will ease his way back into practice during camp.

“Nick’s doing tremendous,” Lynch said. “Nick has always had a different schedule. He’s got a great sense, a great instinct for his body and what he needs. He’ll probably start in a phase (of) individual first, and then we’ll add as we see fit, as he sees fit.”

Lynch said Kittle is making good progress after tearing his Achilles tendon during a playoff win at Philadelphia last January and the team hasn't ruled out the possibility that he could be back in time for the season opener in Australia against the Los Angeles Rams on Sept. 11.

“George’s rehab is coming tremendous,” Lynch said. “He’s doing really well and that’s very exciting. He’s doing everything possible to be ready for Week 1 and we’re thrilled with his progress.”

The three other players who will open camp on the PUP list are defensive end Mykel Williams (knee), defensive tackle Alfred Collins (shoulder) and running back Isaac Guerendo (pectoral).

Lynch said Williams is aiming to be back for Week 1 but that hasn't been determined yet, while Collins should be back during training camp.

Guerendo got hurt during the offseason program and is likely out until at least late in camp.

In other roster moves, defensive tackle Evan Anderson was waived and undrafted tight end Khalil Dinkins was waived with an injury designation. The Niners signed tight end Tanner McLaughlin, who played two games in 2024 for Cincinnati.

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FILE - San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk warms up before an NFL football game against the Arizona Cardinals in Santa Clara, Calif., Sunday, Oct. 6, 2024. (AP Photo/Jed Jacobsohn, File)