Cuban Players News for the 2024 Major League Baseball season. A compilation of several sources
Randy Arozarena batted second for Tampa Bay against the Athletics on Thursday. Yandy Díaz was the leadoff.
With a left-hander on the mound, the Rays deployed their right-hand heavy lineup, sending Richie Palacios, Brandon Lowe, and Jonathan Aranda to the bench. That allowed Yandy Díaz to lead off and Arozarena to move up to second in the order. In the game, Arozarena went 0-for-2 with two walks, a RBI with a sacrifice fly, and a run scored. The 29-year-old has been struggling for the entirety of the 2024 season, slashing only .159/.258/.313 with 8 homers and 19 RBIs, but perhaps hitting in front of the Rays’ middle-of-the-order bats will give him more good pitches to hit and lead to a solid performance. During the same game, Yandy Díaz went 0-for-3 with a strikeout and two walks. It has been a disappointing season for him too, hitting .242/.316/.342 with four home runs and 25 RBIs.
White Sox optioned 3B Bryan Ramos to Triple-A Charlotte.
Ramos was activated off the 10-day IL on Saturday but will now head back to the minors. The 22-year-old was hitting just .196/.208/.239 in 15 games in the big leagues. While it wasn’t a successful start, he figures to get another chance later in the season since the White Sox are not in contention and could get value out of seeing what their younger players are capable of.
Yordan Alvarez with one hit Thursday.
Alvarez went 1-for-4 in Thursday's 4-0 win against the Mariners. In the first inning, Alvarez doubled but was stranded after Jeremy Peña hit a line out to center field. The outfielder would not add another single in the game, after going back-to-back multi-hit games. Alvarez has posted 10 multi-hit games this month and has ten extra-base hits, slashing .273/.348/.449 with 9 homers and 22 RBIs this year.
Despite a hit, José Abreu continues to struggle.
In Houston's 4-0 win over Seattle on Thursday, Abreu had a hit. In the game, he went 1 for 4 with two strikeouts. The Cuban first baseman continues without a consistent offensive line and has stayed eighth in the lineup to avoid greater responsibilities. However, since his return, he has gone 2 for 10 with one RBI, five strikeouts, and one extra-base hit.
Today, Lourdes Gurriel Jr. singled against the Mets.
In the D-backs' 3-2 loss to the Mets, Gurriel Jr. went 1-for-4. Additionally, he was caught stealing. Since making his Major League debut in 2018, the Cuban outfielder has had his worst season. As of right now, he is hitting .237/.278/.370 over 52 games and 223 PAs, although he currently has 3 consecutive hit streaks, which could very well help him break out of his slump.
Aledmys Díaz was hitless today.
In his second game since returning to the Majors, Aledmys Díaz had a 0-for-3 night at first base for the A's as they lost 6-5 to the Rays. Additionally, he struck out. A's aim is to keep Díaz in the lineup, so he must find consistency in his swing after a long absence.
