Cuban Players News for the 2024 Major League Baseball season. A compilation of several sources Aroldis Chapman was ejected from the game following a disastrous outing. Pittsburgh Pirates' bullpen has begun to suffer, and if Aroldis Chapman blew a save last Saturday, he took a loss on Monday. In an eighth inning, in which the Mets scored three runs against him, the seven-time All-Star reliever was ejected by plate umpire Edwin Moscoso. The Mets took the lead against Chapman, who struck out catcher Francisco Álvarez and then saw a struck-out McNeil reach first on a wild pitch, a 3-2 walk then a double steal - taking advantage of the Cuban's slow windup - placed runners in scoring position. Then came Bader's double for a 5-3 lead, and Chapman was ejected after an exchange with Moscoso. A Mets run would be added to Chapman's tally in the inning. His immaculate ERA, which rose to 4.76 on Monday, has finally been broken. Yariel Rodríguez will start Friday for the Blue Jays. Sportsnet.ca's Ben Nicholson-Smith reports that Rodríguez will start Friday against the Padres. Rodríguez pitched 3.2 innings for the Rockies in his major-league debut, allowing a run with six strikeouts. While Rodríguez will have command issues in MLB because of the selective hitting, he should also be able to dominate with his slider and his velocity. Despite the right-hander remaining in the Blue Jays' rotation for now, his workload will surely be curbed eventually. Plus, he has earned another start before the team has to activate Alek Manoah. In 2023, Rodríguez did not pitch at all and in 2022, he was used as a relief pitcher in Japan. Yandy Díaz and Randy Arozarena combined for one hit on Monday. Díaz and Arozarena have not just gotten up from their slow start. While Díaz continued to lead the lineup, Arozarena moved to the third spot.  On Monday, however, Tampa lost 7-3 to the Angels with both players hitting a combined 1-for-8. Díaz produced the only hit and scored a run while striking out. As for Arozarena, he went 0-for-4 with one strikeout and is 2 for 18 with four strikeouts in his last five games. Consecutive appearances for Yennier Cano. The Orioles won 7-4 over the Twins on Monday with Cano making his second appearance in two nights. In the 7th inning, the Orioles bullpen struggled. After Keegan Akin took over in the top of the 7th, he gave up a single and ground-rule double to give the Twins two runners in scoring position despite striking out his first batter. In an attempt to clean up Akins' mess, Yennier Cano couldn't keep the Twins from scoring, cutting the O's lead to 7-4. After limiting the damage in the 7th, the All-Star setup man pitched a scoreless 8th and handed the ball over to Craig Kimbrel in the 9th. As a result, Cano allowed two hits and two strikeouts in 1 2/3 of an inning of relief. On Monday, Yordan Alvarez and José Abreu were hitless. Both Yordan and Abreu went 0-for-8 in Houston's 6-1 loss to Atlanta on Monday. There was at least one opportunity for Alvarez to help his team. The game was 2-1 and two runners were on base in the seventh inning. Yordan was facing southpaw A.J. Minter and on a 1-1 count, Yordan popped out to shortstop for the third out. As for Abreu, his offensive game is still a mystery. His 0-for-4 performance, batting eighth in the lineup, included two strikeouts. This month of April, he has a dismal .105/.146/.132 offense without a HR and only one RBI with 13 SO. His offensive line is worse this season: .082/.148/.102, which already makes many on the bench and off it impatient. On Monday, Adolis García went hitless. In Texas' 1-0 victory over Detroit, Garcia went 0-for-4 with two strikeouts. García seems to be experiencing a slump, hitting 3-for-10 with no HRs or RBIs and three strikeouts in the last three games. Currently, he is hitting .308/.370/.538 with 4 HR and 15 RBI.

Cuban Players News for the 2024 Major League Baseball season. A compilation of several sources Néstor Cortés pitched four innings and allowed four runs Sunday against the Guardians. The highlight for Cortés today was a delivery in which he stopped for a second and faked a toss home before finally throwing his pitch, resulting in a four ball from Andrés Giménez. The rest was all less impressive, as he gave up homers to José Ramírez and Gabriel Arías. The lefty was coming off eight scoreless innings his last time out, and Cortés still owns a respectable 4.50 ERA through four starts despite the hiccup Sunday. On the bright side, he forced a season-high 15 swinging strikes, including eight with the fastball. The 29-year-old's next outing is lined up to be at home against the Rays. He’ll face the Rays at home next weekend. José Abreu finished 0-for-4 against the Rangers on Sunday, lowering his average to .111. Three groundouts and a strikeout. For the optimists, we could point out that one the grounders left his bat at 108.6 mph, topping his previous season high for exit velocity by two mph. Still, things seem pretty bleak here. Abreu has come to the plate 50 times this year and hit one line drive. He has one extra-base hit and one RBI. The Astros were very patient when Abreu struggled last year, but that was with Dusty Baker managing and the team as a whole playing well. There will be less patience this time around with Baker gone, the team off to a slow start and Joey Loperfido excelling in Triple-A. Rays' Randy Arozarena: Swipes third bag Arozarena went 1-for-4 with an RBI, a run scored and a stolen base Sunday against the Giants. Arozarena has gotten off to a sluggish start to the season, as he's failed to record a multi-hit performance in any of his last 12 starts with only two extra-base hits in that span. He has found other ways to produce, most notably by being aggressive on the basepaths as he swiped his third bag of the campaign Sunday. There's also reason for optimism that Arozarena can turn the rest of his results around, as he has a 24.6 percent strikeout rate -- in line with his career norm -- paired with only a .231 BABIP. Orioles' Yennier Cano: Grabs second win Cano (2-1) allowed a run on two hits and struck out one over 1.1 innings without walking a batter to earn the win over the Brewers on Sunday. Cano gave up a seventh-inning solo shot to Blake Perkins that briefly put the Brewers ahead. The Orioles rallied for two runs in their half of the frame and held the lead from there to get Cano his second win in seven outings. The setup man has added a hold, a blown save and a loss, but he's generally been solid so far. He's also at a 6:2 K:BB over 6.2 innings this season. Craig Kimbrel remains the Orioles' closer, but Cano is very near the top of the leverage ladder for times when Kimbrel is unavailable. Braves' Raisel Iglesias: Secures third save Iglesias pitched a perfect inning Sunday, striking out a batter on his way to a save in a 9-7 win over the Marlins. Iglesias was called upon to protect the team's two-run lead in the bottom of the ninth inning, setting down Miami in order for his third save of the year. The right-hander rebounded well after he allowed two runs on three hits in his last outing Tuesday, improving to 3-for-3 on save opportunities in 2024. Iglesias has produced a 3.60 ERA and 1.00 WHIP with three strikeouts over five innings in five outings this season.

Cuban Players News for the 2024 Major League Baseball season. A compilation of several sources Yariel Rodríguez allowed one run with six strikeouts across 3 2/3 innings in a no-decision against the Rockies on Saturday. Rodríguez was solid in his MLB debut. He tossed a clean first inning with two strikeouts, then worked around a hit and a walk in the second. Brenton Doyle would homer to lead off the third and put the Rockies on the board. Rodríguez would leave in the fourth at 68 pitches after giving up a pair of base hits. He struck out two more in the inning to give him six on the day. The 27-year-old right-hander currently lines up to make his second start against the Padres in San Diego on Friday. Lourdes Gurriel Jr. crushed a go-ahead three-run homer in the sixth inning on Saturday, propelling the Diamondbacks to a 4-2 victory over the visiting Cardinals. The 30-year-old slugger victimized Cardinals’ right-hander Kyle Gibson for his 377-foot (107.5 mph EV) game-changing blast. He also singled in the contest to extend a hit streak to seven contests, during which he is 11-for-30 (.367) with a home run and eight RBI. He finished the night 2-for-4. Gurriel has been one of the top offensive performers in all of baseball over the first couple weeks of the season — slashing .317/.369/.567 with four homers and a whopping 18 RBI. In Saturday's win over the Rangers, Yordan Alvarez went 2-for-3 and scored two runs. Adolis Garcia also with two hits. Alvarez singled in each of his first two at-bats. Additionally, he walked twice and scored a run. During this season, Alvarez has been Alvarez. In his last seven games, he has hit .440 (11-for-25) with 2 HR and 9 RBI. As a whole, he is hitting .328/.423/.574 with four home runs, 12 RBI, and three doubles. As part of a potent Astros lineup, he remains a top bat. Adolis Garcia went 2-for-3 with a run scored and a walk for the Rangers in the same game. This season, Adolis has slashed .333/.400/.596 with 4 HR and 15 RBI. Jorge Soler went 1-for-4 with a homer while scoring a run in a victory over the Rays on Saturday. Soler hit a solo home run in the seventh inning to make it 8-1. It counts just as much as any other home run, regardless of the outcome. The 32-year-old is slashing .208/.328/.434 with three home runs and four RBIs in his first year with the Giants. First save blown by Aroldis Chapman. On Saturday, the Pirates failed to overcome a blown save from Aroldis Chapman as they fell 4-3 to the Phillies. Right fielder Nick Castellanos hit the walk-off single in the tenth inning to seal the victory. In the seventh inning, Aroldis Chapman walked Schwarber and Bryce Harper. Passed balls and groundouts helped Schwarber advance to third, and a single by Bryson Stott scored him. For Chapman, this was his first blown save this season. In addition, he allowed his first run, although it was unearned. Braves signed INF Yuli Gurriel to a minor league contract. As a Miami Marlin, Gurriel had a .245/.304/.359 slash line with four homers and 27 RBIs in 108 games played in 2023. The 39-year-old veteran infielder will head to Triple-A Gwinnett to wait for an opportunity to ascend to Atlanta’s active roster. First extra-base hit of the season for José Abreu. Ultimately, Abreu and his cast had the night they expected. During the Astros' 9-2 victory over the Rangers, the veteran first baseman went 2-for-4. In addition to his multi-hit performance, Abreu hit his first extra-base hit of the season with a double in the fourth inning, scoring minutes later on Mauricio Dubon's grounder. Additionally, he received a walk and scored another run. As a first baseman, Abreu lined up behind Jon Singleton, who was the DH. It will be interesting to see whether Abreu can turn around a disappointing season with this game. Athletics' Aledmys Díaz: Starts running program Díaz has begun a running program as part of his rehabilitation process, the Associated Press reported. The veteran infielder opened the season on the 60-day injured list, so he's seemingly only in the nascent stages of his ramp-up process. Díaz could eventually require a rehab assignment of maximum length whenever he's deemed ready to test himself in game action, given how long he's been sidelined.

Cuban Players News for the 2024 Major League Baseball season. A compilation of several sources Adolis García went 2-for-3 with two runs scored, two RBI and two stolen bases against the Astros on Friday. García went 2-for-3 with two RBI, two runs scored, two steals and two walks in Friday's win over Houston. García has already belted four home runs this season but chose to flash his speed and on-base skills instead Friday. The 31-year-old slugger has just four multi-hit games so far this season despite an impressive .315/.377/.593 slash line. García has two extra-base hits -- both doubles -- over his last seven appearances. Blue Jays' Yariel Rodríguez: Will start Saturday Rodríguez will be recalled from Triple-A Buffalo to start Saturday's game against the Rockies, Keegan Matheson of MLB.com reports. Rodríguez will be making his MLB debut Saturday, replacing the struggling Bowden Francis as Toronto's starting pitcher. Rodríguez has thrown 6.1 scoreless innings and struck out 10 batters through two starts with Buffalo. If the 27-year-old righty finds success in his first big-league start, he could end up taking Francis' spot in the Jays' rotation. As of yet, Aroldis Chapman has not allowed a run. This Friday, Chapman pitched in a 5-2 Pirates victory over the Phillies. Chapman pitched in the eighth inning. With his fifth hold of the season, Chapman got the two outs of the inning with a strikeout despite walking two and throwing 16 pitches. In that inning, Chapman was well defended. Bryce Harper hit a line drive with two men on base, and Bryan Reynolds made an outstanding fielding catch in right field.  In five innings of work, he has struck out nine while keeping his ERA unchanged. Lourdes Gurriel Jr. went 1-for-4 with a RBI on Friday against the Cardinals. It was a 9-6 loss for the D-backs against the Cardinals. Despite going 1-for-4, Gurriel Jr. drove in a run in the fifth inning with a base hit when Arizona scored six runs. He also scored a run in the fifth. The 30-year-old outfielder has started this year 17-for-56 at the plate with the three homers and 15 RBI while slashing .304/.361/.518. Yordan Alvarez hitless again. Yordan Alvarez went hitless for the second straight night. This time, it was a 12-8 loss at home against the Rangers. In the seventh inning, Alvarez scored. Having gone 1 for 9 in his last three games with no HR and only one RBI, the powerful outfielder is in a mini-slump. With 4 HR and 12 RBI, he is still slashing .310/.394/.569. Padres recalled LHP Adrian Morejón from Triple-A El Paso. The Padres recalled Morejón from Triple-A El Paso on Friday. Morejón pitched two-thirds of an inning during San Diego's series in South Korea but was optioned to Triple-A ahead of its domestic opener. He's given up two runs across 6.1 minor-league frames and will now return to the Padres to provide additional bullpen depth. Pedro Avila was designated for assignment in a corresponding move. White Sox’ general manager Chris Getz told reporters on Friday that Luis Robert Jr. is trending toward a six-week absence. The timeline that the club gave earlier in the week was that the 26-year-old superstar would miss around 6-8 weeks, so it’s encouraging to hear that he’s trending toward the quicker side of that return. It’s much more optimistic than the 3-4 months that Bob Nightengale of USA Today reported that the White Sox had mentioned privately. Barring any setbacks, it sounds like he could be back in action before the end of May. The offensive problems of Yandy Díaz and Randy Arozarena continue. Díaz and Arozarena continued their struggles at the plate this Friday, going 0-for-6 against San Francisco. Díaz went 0 for 3 with an RBI and a walk, while Arozarena drew a walk as well. Díaz is hitting just .196 with a .544 OPS while Arozarena is slashing .204/.278/.347 with 2 HR and 4 RBI in a slow start to the season for both players. White Sox transferred Yoán Moncada to the 60-day injured list. This isn’t a surprise as the initial reports were that Moncada would need three to six months to recover. He joins an already big name list of injuries for the White Sox that also include Luis Robert Jr. and Eloy Jiménez. José Abreu didn't play Friday Abreu didn't play in Friday's game against the Rangers. Abreu has managed just one hit in 18 at-bats across his last six games, so he'll sit down for the second time in a row Friday. Jon Singleton once again took care of his place at first base while batting fifth and went 1-for-4 with double and a run scored. Tigers' Andy Ibáñez: Hitting, doing agility drills Ibáñez has begun hitting and going through light agility drills, Cody Stavenhagen of The Athletic reported. Ibáñez is on the injured list with a left hamstring strain which he suffered last weekend but is feeling well enough to start incorporating some baseball activities. There's no timetable for his return yet, but he would seem to have a good shot to be back before the end of April.

Cuban Players News for the 2024 Major League Baseball season. A compilation of several sources It is expected that Yariel Rodríguez will be called up on Saturday by the Blue Jays. After two appearances at Triple-A Buffalo where he struck out 10 in 6 1/3 scoreless innings, Rodríguez will be summoned after signing a five-year, $32 million contract over the winter. During the previous four seasons, Rodríguez pitched in Japan. Though it's unclear how Rodríguez will be deployed, he will probably replace Bowden Francis in the rotation, who has struggled early on. As part of the move, the team will option RHP Bowden Francis and Paolo Espino to Triple-A. José Abreu was out of lineup. For Thursday's game in Kansas City, Abreu was not in the lineup. With an OPS of .227 and a strikeout rate of 31.7 percent, Abreu has been inexcusably bad at the plate early on. This is his fourth day off this season, and he batted eighth in his last start. It is likely that Abreu's playing time will continue to decrease if he is not able to turn things around. There is a clear problem with Abreu, and it includes the team he plays in. The Astros are expected to compete for a championship, and so far some pieces - including manager Joe Espada and Abreu himself - aren't performing as expected. With a 1-for-3 performance and 2 walks, Jon Singleton handled first base Thursday. Adolis García had the only Texas hit in the game. Adolis García went 1-for-3 with a strikeout as the Rangers fell 1-0 to the A's. Texas' only hit came from Garcia. In the first inning, he also had a chance to drive in a run against starter J. P. Sears, as Marcus Siemen was on second base with two outs, but he struck out. On Thursday, Yordan Alvarez went hitless. In a 13-3 loss to Kansas City, Yordan went hitless. Yordan had a 0-for-3 performance with a walk, an RBI, and a strikeout. The Cuban outfielder has slashed .327/.393/.600 this season with 4 HR and 12 RBI. The White Sox have optioned OF Oscar Colás to Triple-A Charlotte. What a quick turnaround. In his only game with the White Sox, Colás went 0-for-1 at the plate. The 25-year-old corner outfielder will return to the minors. There are no details yet on the corresponding move for Chicago ahead of Friday's series opener against the Reds. Apparently, Colás will have to test himself in the minors before he receives another chance since this truly seemed like one of those lucky moments.

Cuban Players News for the 2024 Major League Baseball season. A compilation of several sources A 6-2 win over the Athletics was led by Adolis García's 3-for-3 performance with two doubles, two RBIs, and a steal of a base. García had an excellent day at the plate against the A's. On a base hit, he came around to score after drawing a walk in the first inning. His second steal of the season came after he doubled in the third and drove in two runs with a base hit in the fourth. He reached in all four plate appearances of the game, including a double for his third hit. Over his first 53 plate appearances, Garcia is slashing .292/.340/.604 with four home runs, 13 RBI, and two steals. Randy Arozarena went 1-for-4 and scored a run as the Rays triumphed over the Angels on Wednesday afternoon. The 29-year-old outfielder reached on an infield single off of Jose Soriano in the opening inning, then raced around to score from second base on a wild pitch later in the frame. He would go hitless over his next three at-bats though, including a pair of strikeouts. He’s off to a slow start overall at the dish, slashing just .217/.280/.370 with a pair of homers, four RBI and two stolen bases in his first 12 contests. In Wednesday's starting lineup, José Abreu was moved to eighth. The game saw Abreu go 0-for-3 with his first RBI of the season and he struck out. In spite of the fact that he has at least been plunked by a couple of pitches, the 37-year-old "slugger" is off to a laughable start to his 2024 season — slashing .081/.146/.081 with zero home runs, no extra-base hits, and one RBI. His lineup spot is in freefall, so the only question now is when Joe Espada will decide to cut him loose. On Wednesday, Lourdes Gurriel Jr. started for the Diamondbacks against the Rockies. Following a day off on Tuesday, one of Arizona's best hitters was given plenty of chances in Coors Field. In a 5-3 win against the Rockies, Gurriel Jr. went 2-for-5. Gurriel batted third and played left field. He drove in two runs. Gurriel has a .538 slugging percentage early on in the season and is the second-leading player in runs (10) for the team. Dodgers OF prospect Andy Pagés homered while going 3-for-5 Tuesday for Triple-A Oklahoma City. Pages hadn’t homered coming into Tuesday’s game, but he’s now the proud owner of a roundtripper nine games into the campaign. Power is not a real question mark for the 23-year-old, as he’s hit 90 homers over 410 MiLB games, and his strong lower half and bat speed suggest that can carry over to the highest level. The ability to hit for average is a bigger question mark, however, as he projects to have a below-average hit tool and won’t be a big contributor in the stolen base category. There’s risk in Pages’ profile, but that risk also carries the reward of a potential 30-homer, 100-RBI player. Royals' Dairon Blanco: Notches fifth steal. Blanco stole a base as a pinch runner in Tuesday's 4-3 extra-inning win over the Astros. Blanco is tied for third in the American League with five steals despite logging just three plate appearances over eight games. He's also scored four runs. The 30-year-old is on the Royals' roster for speed and defense as a late-game replacement, but it's fair to assume he's not first in line to take a starting role if one of the team's other outfielders gets injured. OF Oscar Colás was selected by the White Sox from Triple-A Charlotte. The White Sox recalled Colás from Triple-A Charlotte on Wednesday. As anticipated, Colás will join the big club after the White Sox placed infielder Yoan Moncada (adductor) on the 10-day injured list in a corresponding move. With the White Sox sitting on a 2-9 record and already trending toward fading from the playoff race with Moncada and two other key regulars in Luis Robert (hip) and Eloy Jimenez (adductor) on the IL, Colas could end up getting a look as an everyday player in the outfield. The 25-year-old did little to distinguish himself after making the White Sox's Opening Day roster last spring, as he slashed just .216/.257/.314 over 263 plate appearances and ultimately finished the 2023 season in the minors. The 25-year-old has gone 9-for-28 (.321 AVG) with one homer and four RBI in his eight games at the Triple-A level this season. White Sox placed Yoán Moncada (adductor) on the 10-day injured list. The White Sox placed Moncada on the 10-day injured list Wednesday with a left adductor strain. He's expected to be out for 3-to-6 months. The strain is evidently of the Grade 2 or 3 variety, given that the White Sox are expecting a long-term stay on the shelf for Moncada. It's yet another injury for Moncada, who has been plagued by chronic back and leg issues over the last two seasons. Lenyn Sosa and Braden Shewmake could be in line for upticks in playing time in the infield while Moncada is sidelined.

Cuban Players News for the 2024 Major League Baseball season. A compilation of several sources Yordan Alvarez went 4-for-5 with a double and two RBI in Tuesday’s loss to the Royals. Alvarez singled in each of the first two innings of this game and doubled home Mauricio Dubón in the fourth inning to give the Astros their third run of the day. An early 3-0 lead for the Astros proved to be insufficient, as the Royals rallied for a three-run fifth inning before winning it in the 10th inning. Alvarez is on a tear to start the season, hitting .347 with four home runs, 11 RBI, and three doubles. He continues to be one of the top bats in a potent Astros lineup. Raisel Iglesias earned his second save of the season in Tuesday’s win over the Mets. Iglesias almost didn’t escape this one. Entering the ninth inning with a 6-3 lead, Iglesias immediately allowed back-to-back hits to Harrison Bader and Omar Narváez, with a double by Narváez scoring Bader. Narváez would then score on a starling Marte ground out to cut the lead to 6-5. The Atlanta closer kept his focus though and fanned Pete Alonso to end the game. Iglesias hasn't blown a save yet in 2024, but his 4.50 ERA and 2:0 K:BB through four innings reflect a slow start for the dominant reliever who hasn't posted an ERA above 2.75 since 2019 or a strikeout rate below 29.4 percent since 2018. Adolis García went hitless on Tuesday. On Tuesday, Adolis García went 0-for-4 in the A's 4-3 win. He was DHing in the game, but couldn't extend his season total of 4 HRs and 11 RBIs. Currently, he is slashing .244/.286/.533. On Tuesday, Yandy Díaz and Randy Arozarena combined for one hit. In a 6-4 win against the Angels, Yandy Díaz and Randy Arozarena combined for 1-for-10 with two strikeouts. Díaz is now 14 games without a hit so far. The 2023 American League batting champions is just slashing .204/.259/.306. As for Arozarena, he went 1-for-5 with a strikeout. A bad start to the season for the star outfielder, hitting only .214/.283/.381 with 2 HR and 4 RBI. Yoán Moncada injured and Oscar Colás appears to be back to MLB. Yoán Moncada was removed from Tuesday’s game against the Guardians with a left adductor strain. Moncada figures to join Luis Robert Jr. and Eloy Jiménez on Chicago’s overcrowded injured list. White Sox manager Pedro Grifol told reporters earlier Tuesday that Moncada has been playing through a lingering hip issue this season before going down while running out a second-inning ground ball in this contest. The 28-year-old infielder will be re-evaluated on Wednesday before a decision is made on his status moving forward, but he’s most likely going to miss some time. In the wake of Yoán Moncada’s early exit from Tuesday’s game, Oscar Colás appears headed back to the majors. The 25-year-old, who struggled last year in his first exposure to the majors, was off to a nice start for Triple-A Charlotte, batting .321 (9-for-28) with one homer and one steal in eight contests. Diamondbacks' Lourdes Gurriel Jr. didn't start Tuesday Gurriel Jr. was out of the lineup for Tuesday's game against the Rockies. Gurriel started the first 11 games of the campaign and received a day off after he posted a .298/.365/.532 slash line with three homers, 12 RBI and 10 runs during that stretch. Jake McCarthy started in left field Tuesday.

Cuban Players News for the 2024 Major League Baseball season. A compilation of several sources Néstor Cortés allowed just two hits with six strikeouts over eight scoreless frames to pick up the victory in a 7-0 win for the Yankees over the Marlins on Monday. The Yankees didn’t need it, but Cortés was sensational Monday while picking up his first win of the season. He threw 70-of-102 pitches for strikes, and he didn’t issue a walk against an overmatched Miami lineup. It’s easily the best start of the season for the southpaw, and one that flashes back to his outstanding work of 2022. Cortés allowed seven runs over 10 innings through his first two starts of the season but was at the top of his game in his first home start. Cortés will get a chance to build on this outing Sunday when he faces the Guardians. Yordan Álvarez went 3-for-5 with a two-run homer and three RBI on Monday, lifting the Astros to a 10-5 blowout victory over the Rangers. Álvarez stuffed the stat sheet in another monster performance, finishing a triple shy of hitting for the cycle. He blasted a two-run homer -- his fourth round-tripper of the season off Rangers lefty Andrew Heaney in the second inning before drilling a go-ahead RBI double off southpaw reliever Brock Burke in the fourth inning. He's gone deep in consecutive games and has four over his last five appearances. During that five-game stretch, he's gone 10-for-20 (.500) with nine RBI, raising his season OPS to .981. The 26-year-old superstar is batting a robust .295 (13-for-44) with nine runs scored, four homers and nine RBI through 11 contests. Aroldis Chapman continues to pitch well for the Pirates. In Monday's 7-4 win over the Tigers, Chapman got two outs with two strikeouts while bases were loaded, to get his four hold of the year. In six appearances this year, he is still scoreless. The sample size is only 4.1 innings, but Chapman has pitched well, with an immaculate ERA and a ridiculous WHIP of 0.23. At 9-2, the Pirates are the best team in the National League. For José Abreu, the hits are not coming. The offensive problems of Abreu continue. The 37-year-old Cuban veteran faces this reality every night. Yes, it sounds repetitive, but it is the truth. A 10-5 win over the Rangers saw Abreu score two runs, but he went hitless with two strikeouts while going 0-for-3. Abreu has also had bad starts to the season in the past, but remember his age and that he comes from a season in which he may have experienced the worst first half of his career with the worst OPS (. 537) of any full month of his major league career in April 2023. He has gone 11-0 during the last four games without a hit. Despite his career success, Abreu is now viewed as one of the worst signings by Houston fans. Yandy Díaz went hitless and Randy Arozarena returned to the lineup. Díaz went 0-for-4 in Monday's 7-1 loss to the Angels. In the meantime, Arozarena returned to the lineup after a day off, going 1-for-3 with a walk and a strikeout. Tampa relies heavily on both players, especially because of their positions at the top of the lineup. Tigers placed INF Andy Ibáñez on the 10-day injured list with a left hamstring strain. Ibáñez is going to be replaced on the roster with Wenceel Pérez. Ibáñez will miss at least a week-plus with the injury, and it’s more likely that the 31-year-old won’t be back until the end of April. Soler went hitless against the Nationals on Monday. Soler went 0-for-3 in Monday night's 8-1 loss to the Nationals. Once, he walked. With an offensive line of .225/.319/.450, two home runs along with three RBIs, Soler is hitting in line with his standards. In terms of HRs and RBIs, he is expected to produce similar to that of 2023 with Miami, but he had the second-best year in terms of these two categories of his career last year. The Chicago Sun Times’ Daryl Van Schouwen reports Luis Robert Jr. will be out 6-8 weeks with a Grade 2 hip flexor strain. An earlier report by USA Today’s Bob Nightengale listed Robert’s initial return timetable as 3-4 months. While there’s no certainty that he’ll make it back within two months, it seems that the White Sox timeline is not as pessimistic as earlier reports suggested. Given the updated timeline there is a chance he will return by early June. Yariel Rodríguez threw 2 1/3 scoreless innings for Triple-A Buffalo, allowing one hit and striking out four. Rodríguez did walk two batters and hit another, so his command was not as sharp as in his first outing; however, his fastball velocity was up, averaging 93.2 mph. Interestingly, Rodríguez was limited to just 47 pitches after throwing 55 pitches across four hitless innings in his last appearance. It remains unclear what role the Blue Jays have envisioned for Rodríguez at the big league level, but his prospects took off when he was moved to the bullpen in Japan, so perhaps he fits best as a multi-inning reliever.

Cuban Players News for the 2024 Major League Baseball season. A compilation of several sources Yordan Álvarez blasted a three-run homer on Sunday night, propelling the Astros to a 3-1 victory over the Rangers in Arlington. The 26-year-old slugger snapped a scoreless tie with his 378-foot (108.6 mph EV) three-run shot off of right-hander Dane Dunning in the third inning. That would wind up being the only scoring in the ballgame for the Astros, but they made sure that it stood up. Álvarez also drew a walk in the contest, finishing the night 1-for-3. For the season, he’s now hitting .256/.341/.513 with three long balls and six RBI. After a surprisingly poor start to the season -- 2-for-20 through the first five games -- the lefty slugger has gone 8-for-19 (.421) with three long balls over his last five appearances. Álvarez owns an .854 OPS with six RBI and six runs scored. Adolis García singled, walked and scored the Rangers’ lone run as they fell to the Astros on Sunday night. García finally broke up Blanco’s bid for consecutive no-hitters with a two-out single in the sixth inning. The 31-year-old outfielder also worked a walk off of Josh Hader in the ninth inning and scored on a run-scoring single off the bat of Justin Foscue. García finished the evening 1-for-3. He’s off to another terrific start this season — hitting .270/.317/.622 with four homers, 11 RBI and a stolen base. According to Bob Nightengale of USA Today, the White Sox privately fear that Luis Robert Jr. could miss 3-4 months with his Grade 2 hip flexor strain. Nightengale also notes that the White Sox will explore the free agent market for possible outfield additions and that Tommy Pham could be a potential fit. While the club as yet to acknowledge any sort of timeline publicly regarding Robert’s return, he did miss half a season in 2021 with a similar injury — though the 26-year-old outfielder told reporters on Saturday that he didn’t believe the injury was as severe this time around. José Abreu was not in the Astros’ starting lineup for Sunday night’s showdown against the Rangers. Astros’ skipper Joe Espada said that he liked the matchup for Jon Singleton against right-hander Dane Dunning, but that was not the only reason that Abreu was sitting. The 37-year-old has been dropped down in the lineup a couple of times already and is slashing an anemic .074/.138/.074 with zero RBI and a 9/1 K/BB ratio through eight games on the season. He’s just starting the second year on his three-year, $58.5 million deal with the Astros, so it’s unlikely that they’ll do something completely drastic and cut him, but eventually something has to give. Abreu went 0-for-1 after entering the game in the eighth inning. Yennier Cano took a blown save and a loss in the ninth after giving up two runs — one earned — in two-thirds of an inning against the Pirates. Craig Kimbrel had this one off after pitching the previous two days. Working with a one-run lead, Cano loaded the bases on two singles and a walk with no outs. He then got a weak grounder than turned into a force play at home (thanks to replay that is, since Dan Iassogna made one of the worst safe calls of all-time on the field) and then induced another grounder up the middle. Gunnar Henderson made a terrific play to field the ball and tag second base, but he then threw wide of first, in part because Rowdy Tellez was in his way jogging to second, and both the tying and winning runs scored. The second run was unearned since, even though the double play can’t be assumed, it was the throw eluding the first baseman that allowed the runner to score from second. Randy Arozarena was out of the lineup for Sunday’s game against the Rockies. For the finale against Colorado, Arozarena rested. For the first time this season, Arozarena is on the bench Sunday after posting a .652 OPS through 37 plate appearances. Is just a preventative measure to get him back on track. Next time the Rays play, Arozarena should be back in the lineup.

Cuban Players News for the 2024 Major League Baseball season. A compilation of several sources Raisel Iglesias records his first save of the season for the Braves. In a 9-8 win over the Diamondbacks, Iglesias threw a scoreless inning without allowing a hit or a walk. After hitting Eugenio Suárez with a pitch with one out, Iglesias put the tying run on with two outs on a sac bunt. Iglesias, however, avoided the threat by grounding out Gabriel Moreno. With three scoreless appearances in the early going, Iglesias has managed just one save on a five-win Atlanta team. However, today it was Iglesias' 191st save in MLB. Yordan Álvarez went 2-for-4 on Saturday. José Abreu hitless again. Álvarez has struggled a little bit early this season, but his explosive bat can make a huge impact at any time. In a 7-2 loss to the Rangers, he went 2-for-4 with a run scored and a walk for his second multi-hit game of the week. In the same game José Abreu went 0-for-4 with two strikeouts in the same game to continue struggling at the plate. In the last 15 games, he has gone 2-for-26, struck out nine times, and has no home runs or RBIs. It's been a rough start to the season for Abreu, but he will remain a regular because Houston only has a small pool of alternatives at first base, unless it promotes promising prospect Joey Loperfido. Aroldis Chapman collects his third hold for the Pirates. Chapman picked up the hold against Baltimore on Saturday. In one inning, he struck out two and walked one. A total of 23 pitches were necessary for Chapman to complete his task, 11 of them being strikes. It has been a perfect season for him so far with no runs allowed in 3 2/3 innings and 6 strikeouts. On Saturday, Lourdes Gurriel Jr. went 2-for-5 against the Braves. This year, Gurriel Jr. started off strong with three homers in three straight games, but his bat cooled off for a few games. In addition to scoring one run, he struck out once. Now, in his last 15 games, he is hitting .316/.395/.605 with nine runs scored and 11 RBI. Díaz's 2-run single caps late rally. Despite a blustery Saturday night, Yandy Díaz hit a two-run single to cap a five-run eighth inning to lift the Tampa Bay Rays to an 8-6 win over the Colorado Rockies. Although Díaz went 1-for-5, he struck out just once. Currently, he is slashing .286/.350/.429 with a home run and nine RBIs. Additionally, Randy Arozarena's troubles continued. In addition to striking out three times, he went 0 for 5. His last three games have seen him go 1-for-14 with six strikeouts. White Sox's Luis Robert: Lands on 10-day IL. The White Sox placed Robert (hip) on the 10-day injured list Saturday. Imaging confirmed that Robert sustained a Grade 2 right hip flexor strain while running the bases in the ninth inning of Friday's loss to the Royals, per James Fegan of SoxMachine.com -- a similar location to his tear in 2021. With Robert likely facing an extended stint on the IL, the White Sox recalled infielder Lenyn Sosa from Triple-A Charlotte. Andy Ibáñez didn't start Saturday's game for the Tigers. In Saturday's game against the Athletics, Ibáñez didn't start. He has a batting average of .308 with three RBIs in 15 plate appearances to start the season, but he was sat against right-hander Paul Blackburn. While moving around the diamond, Ibáñez will focus primarily on left-handed pitching.

Cuban Players News for the 2024 Major League Baseball season. A compilation of several sources In Friday's blowout win over the Astros, Adolis García homered and drove in four runs. He was 2-for-4 in the game. During the second inning, Garcia hit a three-run homer off Hunter Brown, and he drove in two runs with an RBI single in the fifth inning. Friday's performance was Adolis' first multi-hit game since Opening Day. With four homers and four runs scored against the Astros, the power-hitting outfielder has already recorded four homers and 10 RBI on the season. He's now slashing .276/.313/.724 through 32 plate appearances. For the defending champions, this is excellent news. White Sox's Luis Robert exited early with injury. The 26-year-old outfielder suffered the injury running the bases on his ninth-inning double on Friday. He’s heading for additional testing and the team won’t have an update on his status until Saturday. It’s the same hip that Robert injured during the 2021 campaign and wound up missing half the season. For an offense that’s already missing Eloy Jiménez, the White Sox could find themselves in an even more terrible place offensively if Robert lands on the injured list as well. Be sure to check back on his status before Saturday’s game. Yandy Díaz went 2-for-4 with one RBI and two run scored in Friday’s loss to the Rockies. Díaz scored in the bottom of the first inning after reaching base with a walk. He laced a single to right field in the second inning to give the Rays their second run of the day. Díaz would score in the bottom of the ninth inning after reaching base with his second single and is now hitting .300 on the young campaign. In Houston's 10-2 loss to the Rangers, Yordan Álvarez had no impact. In tonight's game, Álvarez was hitless 0-for-3 with a strikeout. In the late stages of the game, he was replaced by pinch-hitter Jon Singleton. At any moment, his production will begin to show after he had his first multi-homer game of the season last Thursday. On Friday, Lourdes Gurriel Jr. had two hits. As a player, Gurriel showed a better offensive side on Friday. In a 6-5 loss in 10 innings against the Braves, Gurriel had a 2-for-3 night. He scored one run, drove in one, walked twice, and struck out once. He is now batting .303 for the year. Randy Arozarena went 1-for-5 in a loss to the Rockies on Friday. Despite having one single and scoring a run, Arozarena struck out three times. It's hard to compete with Arozarena when he's playing well, but he's struggling at the beginning of the season. During his last three games, he has gone 2-for-12 with an RBI and 3 SO. Vladimir Gutiérrez was claimed by Milwaukee. The Brewers claimed Gutiérrez off waivers from the Marlins on Friday and optioned him to Triple-A Nashville, Adam McCalvy of MLB.com reports. Gutiérrez made one four-inning relief appearance for the Marlins earlier this week before being designated for assignment. He will either be used as a starter or in long relief at Nashville. Yennier Cano threw a perfect eighth inning for a hold against Pittsburgh on Friday. Cano was called to pitch in the bottom of the eighth to preserve a three-run lead. Two of the three batters he faced were struck out and he needed just 11 pitches to get the job done. Despite not fully taking over the closer role when Félix Bautista went on the injured list in late August, Cano will likely have a slightly longer leash in this season's remaining games. On Friday, Andy Ibáñez had one hit. In Detroit's 5-4 victory over Oakland on Friday, Ibáñez went 1-for-3 with a run scored. Ibáñez was second in the lineup and defended the second base. Despite no extra bases to start the season, he has hit .308/.267/.308 with three RBI. Jorge Soler hitless on Friday against the Padres. Soler went 0-for-4 in a 3-2 victory against the Padres Friday afternoon. He struck out twice. The 32-year-old slugger once again started as the Giants’ designated hitter and batted cleanup. He has two homers and three RBI this year and is slashing .241/.343/.517 for the Giants. José Abreu returned to the Astros' lineup Friday. After sitting out Wednesday, Abreu batted seventh and started at first base for manager Joe Espada on Friday. In the Rangers' 10-2 loss, he went 0-for-3 with a strikeout, continuing his struggles to start the season. To start the season, the 37-year-old first baseman is slowly making his way down the lineup. In his first two starts, he batted fifth, subsequently batted sixth, and today he fell behind Chas McCormick despite Rangers left-hander Cody Bradford taking the mound. His first 24 plate appearances have resulted in a horrendous .091/.167/.091, zero RBI, and a 7/1 K/BB ratio.

Cuban Players News for the 2024 Major League Baseball season. A compilation of several sources The second hold of the year for Aroldis Chapman. The Pirates' 7-4 victory over the Nationals was sparked by Chapman's one out in the eighth inning. The Pirates led 7-2 in the eighth, but two walks and two singles brought the Nationals within 7-4. Chapman faced Jacob Young with two men on base. Chapman needed seven pitches to reach a full count, but he struck out Young with a cutting slider at 83.8 mph over the top zone. It was Chapman's fourth outing of the year. In 2 2/3 innings, he had already struck out four, recorded a save and two holds. Luis Robert Jr. and Yoán Moncada combined for one hit. In Chicago's 10-1 loss to Kansas City, Moncada went 3-1 with a walk and the only run scored. The night was hitless for Luis Robert, who finished 0 for 4 with a strikeout. Currently, Moncada is hitting .254/.331/.425 with no home runs and RBIs, while Luis Robert is hitting .208/.240/.500 with 2 HRs and 4 RBIs. Against the Mets, Andy Ibáez went hitless. In the Tigers' 6-3 victory over the Mets in 11 innings, Andy Ibáez went hitless. Ibáñez went 0-for-2 with a strikeout late in the game but had his third RBI of the season in the sixth inning with a sacrifice fly that gave his team a 2-0 lead.