Major League Baseball (MLB) and other Cuban Players News for the 2023 season. A compendium from several sources
April 27
Jorge Soler is not in Thursday's lineup against the Braves, Yuli Gurriel is playing.
The veteran slugger will take a seat against right-hander Kyle Wright. Avisail Garcia is also on the bench Thursday while Jesús Sánchez plays right and Bryan De La Cruz starts in left. Yuli Gurriel is at first base and Garrett Cooper will DH.
Dodgers' Miguel Vargas: Sitting out Thursday. Vargas is absent from the Dodgers' lineup for Thursday's game in Pittsburgh, David Vassegh of AM 570 LA Sports reports. Mookie Betts will handle second base. Vargas is getting on base at a .372 clip thanks to 16 walks, but a .681 OPS and zero home runs have left something to be desired, although he did steal his first bag of the season Wednesday.
April 26
Yennier Cano gets Orioles out of trouble and ties record.
In a 6-2 win against the Red Sox, Tennier Cano continued shining in his reliever role. Wednesday afternoon’s win featured some more clutch relief from Yennier Cano, who tied a club record dating to 1976 (Fred Holdsworth) for 24 consecutive batters retired to begin a season. That was after getting out the first four batters Cano faced today. He did not break the record because he hit the next guy with a pitch, but Cano got one more out and has still yet to allow a hit or run this season. Hitters are now 0-for-26 with a HBP against Cano this season. He is basically dominating them using his fastball 58.8% of the time, his wicked slider 19.6% - mostly to sentence hitters - and his changeup a 21.6% this year. After the game Cano said through team interpreter Brandon Quinones. “Hopefully, somebody will come around and break that record.”
Aledmys Díaz was back in Wednesday's starting lineup. Aledmys Díaz was back in the A's starting lineup Wednesday versus the rival Los Angeles Angels. Diaz sat out Tuesday night's contest with the Angels but returned to the six-hole and man the hot corner Wednesday. He went 0-for-4 in the game with a strikeout. It's been an ugly start for the veteran who is hitting just .148 with one homer and a .426 OPS across 88 plate appearances so far this season.
Yordan Álvarez (neck) remained out of the Astros' lineup for Wednesday's game against the Rays.
No surprise here as Álvarez missed his third consecutive game on Wednesday evening due to neck discomfort and seems extremely likely to be placed on the 10-day injured list. There should be an official determination on his status soon.
Astros' José Abreu: Power still lacking. Abreu went 1-for-4 with a double, an RBI and a run scored Tuesday against the Rays. Abreu tallied an RBI double and came around to score in the fifth inning of Tuesday's win. He now has at least one hit in seven of his last eight starts, which has resulted in a .273 average. Even with that positive production, he has only two extra-base hits in that span and four total on the campaign across 105 plate appearances. Overall, Abreu has maintained a 60 wRC+ and .256 wOBA.
White Sox's Oscar Colás: Out again Wednesday. Colás was out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Blue Jays. Colás finds himself out of the lineup for the fourth time in five games, with two absences coming against right-handers and two coming against left-handers. At this point, Colás looks to have moved into a reserve role after posting a .567 OPS through his first 71 plate appearances of the season, perhaps setting the stage for a demotion to Triple-A Charlotte so he can play regularly and regain some confidence at the dish. Gavin Sheets and Romy González could end up forming a platoon in right field moving forward.
Reds' José Barrero: On the bench Wednesday. Barrero was out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Rangers. Barrero had been scheduled to receive the day off Tuesday, but he was ultimately added to the lineup late as a replacement for Wil Myers (neck) and proceeded to 0-for-3 with a walk and a run in the Reds' 7-6 win. With Myers back in action for Wednesday's series finale, Barrero got a chance to rest.
