The mother of Pittsburgh Pirates catcher Elias Diaz has been kidnapped in Venezuela.

Ana Soto, the 72-year-old mother of the 27-year-old MLB player Diaz, was kidnapped by armed men on Thursday morning in San Francisco, a city about 430 miles west of Caracas.

Around 8am on Thursday, four heavily armed men jumped out of a black van, plate number AA87ZJ, in front of Soto's residence, police said.

The men threatened a young woman with a Glock pistol and demanded to be taken to Soto, witnesses told police.

The kidnappers then bundled Soto up in sheets and threw her in the vehicle before speeding off, cops said.

Pittsburgh Pirates catcher Elias Diaz is seen with his mother Ana Soto, who was kidnapped by armed men in their native Venezuela on Thursday morning

Diaz, 27, is believed to be in the US currently as the Pirates' pitchers and catchers prepare to report to spring training next week

On Thursday afternoon, the Pirates issued a statement confirming Venezuelan media reports that Soto was in danger.

'We are all shocked and deeply concerned for Elias' mother, as well as for Elias and his entire family,' team president Frank Coonelly said in a statement.

'We have Elias' mom and Elias' entire family in our prayers. We are using all of the resources available at the Pirates and Major League Baseball to support Elias and his family during this incredibly difficult time.

'As we work with authorities on his mom's safe return, we will withhold further comment and ask that you please respect the family's need for privacy.'

Diaz, 27, is believed to be in the US currently as the Pirates' pitchers and catchers prepare to report to spring training next week.

He hit .223 with one home run and 19 RBIs in 64 games last season.

Diaz is seen in the Pirates dugout during a game last August. The team has confirmed the kidnapping and pledged to support Diaz however they can in the crisis

This is not the first time kidnappers have targeted Venezuelan athletes or their relatives.

In 2009, then-Colorado Rockies catcher Yorvit Torrealba waited in anguish as his 11-year-old son was rescued from kidnappers.

Former Washington Nationals catcher Wilson Ramos was kidnapped in 2011 but later was found alive and unharmed after an air rescue.

Venezuela has continued to spiral into chaos as an economic crisis grips the nation under the socialist regime of Nicholas Maduro, the successor to Hugo Chavez.

On Thursday, Colombia and Brazil clamped down on border controls with Venezuela as a mounting influx of hundreds of thousands of desperate migrants flee desperate food and medicine shortages.

Venezuela has continued to spiral into chaos as an economic crisis grips the nation under the socialist regime of Nicholas Maduro (pictured on Wednesday)

People take part in a protest against desperate medical shortages in Caracas, Venezuela on Thursday. The placard reads 'Rights, now'

The moves to tighten border security could threaten a key social safety valve for desperate Venezuelans as hyperinflation and a severe recession grip their oil-rich country.

The steps also signaled a mounting regional frustration with Venezuela's unpopular President Maduro, who will seek re-election on April 22 amid conditions that the US and other countries say are stacked against a divided opposition.

Maduro is expected to win reelection despite a recession that is now in its fifth year.

Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos said in a Thursday visit to the border with Venezuela: 'I want to repeat to President Maduro - this is the result of your policies, it is not the fault of Colombians and it's the result of your refusal to receive humanitarian aid which has been offered in every way, not just from Colombia but from the international community.'