Major League Baseball (MLB) and other Cuban Players News for the 2023 season. A compendium from several sources Jul 30 Yankees couldn't hit Yennier Cano Sunday. Yennier Cano struck out the side in the ninth inning in a 9-3 victory against the Yankees on Sunday night. The 29-year-old was called on to close out the game, and he did not disappoint. The Yankees dropped 9 GB to last place in the AL East after Cano struck out Gleyber Torres, Giancarlo Stanton and Anthony Rizzo. Cano's only problem over his last eight outings occurred on July 25 when the Phillies scored 2 runs with 4 hits. He has completed 6 2/3 with 6 SO and just one walk in the remaining seven games. Cano has 24 holds and four saves in 46 appearances, to go along with an excellent 1.76 ERA, a 0.98 WHIP and a 46:7 K:BB through 51 innings this year. Raisel Iglesias fanned all three batters he faced for a save Sunday against the Brewers. Iglesias got six missed swings from the three batters he faced. It’s the second time in three appearances (all against Milwaukee) that he’s struck out all three batters in an inning. He never did that in any of his first 31 appearances this year. Iglesias has allowed just two earned runs in his last 12 appearances (11 innings), working to a 1.64 ERA with 14 strikeouts in that span. Overall, the 33-year-old closer is 20-for-22 in save opportunities with a 3.69 ERA, 1.20 WHIP and 41:9 K:BB across 31.2 innings this season. Adolis García went 1-for-4 with a walk and a stolen base in Sunday’s loss to the Padres. The 30-year-old slugger reached on a two-out infield single off of Blake Snell in the third inning and swiped second base, but the Rangers were unable to cash him in. García has been a force in the middle of the Rangers’ lineup again this season — slashing .259/.332/.505 with 25 homers, 84 RBI and seven stolen bases. Yuli Gurriel with two hits. It was Gurriel's fourth consecutive game and third as a regular. He went 2-for-4 with his 20th RBI and 26th run scored of the year. The veteran first baseman has a line of .268/.354/.341 without home runs, with 4 RBIs, 6 walks, and 5 strikeouts in the last 15 games. Despite the fact that Gurriel is just 73 hits away from reaching 1,000 in MLB, he needs to play more, although such a mark is unlikely to be achieved this year. Randy Arozarena was not in the Rays’ starting lineup for Sunday’s finale against the Astros. It was a scheduled day off for the All-Star outfielder. It came at a good time, too, as the 28-year-old is hitting .160/.233/.272 in the month of July. Hopefully, a day off his feet will get him back on track. Yoán Moncada, Luis Robert and Oscar Colás: Combined for two hits Sunday. In Sunday's 5-0 loss to the Guardians, Moncada, Luis Robert and Colás contributed just two of the White Sox's four hits. Moncada and Luis Robert had one hit each with no RBI, while Colás finished 0-for-2 with a walk. Jorge Soler took seat Sunday. Soler was out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Tigers. Soler started the past 26 games, but he has a .441 OPS since the All-Star break and went to the bench Sunday. Yasmani Grandal was on the bench Sunday. Grandal was also out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Guardians. Grandal has a .250/.318/.425 slash line since the All-Star break and sat Sunday for the second time in Chicago's past three games. Néstor Cortés will make another minor league rehab start on Wednesday. No word yet whether he’ll draw the starting assignment for Double-A Somerset or Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre yet. However, it’s expected to be his final rehab outing as the 28-year-old southpaw went four innings last Friday for Double-A Somerset, increasing his pitch count to 49 in the process. He should be ready to rejoin New York’s starting rotation at some juncture next week.

Major League Baseball (MLB) and other Cuban Players News for the 2023 season. A compendium from several sources Jul 29 José Abreu went 3-for-3 and hit one of five Astros homers in Saturday’s 17-4 thrashing of the Rays. For the second straight night Abreu logged a roundtripper, boosting his home run total to 10 this season. Abreu supplied one of the Astros’ two homers before Tampa Bay mailed it in. The other three long balls came off backup catcher Rene Pinto, who pitched the seventh inning even though the Rays had a perfectly well stocked bullpen. Abreu treaded water for most of July after his nice surge in June, but with homers in back-to-back games, his numbers are trending back up. His current .667 OPS is his best mark since Apr. 9. Abreu has been on fire since the All-Star break, batting .315 (17-for-54) with 11 RBI and 11 runs scored across 14 contests. He'll look to continue his power streak Sunday in the series finale against the Rays, who will be having a bullpen day. Yordan Álvarez hit his first homer since return. Álvarez went 3-for-5 with a solo home run and three runs scored Saturday against the Rays. Álvarez's home run came off backup catcher René Pinto, though he was having a productive game before his 18th long ball of the season. He has at least one hit in all three games since returning from the injured list and is showing no lingering seasons of the oblique issue that cost him 39 games. When healthy, Álvarez has maintained an impressive .418 wOBA and 172 wRC+ across 255 plate appearances on the season. Andy Ibáñez was not in the starting lineup Saturday. Yuli Gurriel and Jorge Soler, one hit combined. Ibáñez wasn't in the Tigers' lineup Saturday against the Marlins. Ibáñez is 4-for-17 with a homer, two RBI and two runs scored across his last five games and got a day off Saturday. Yuli Gurriel and Jorge Soler combined to go 1-for-5 with 3 strikeouts in the same game. Although Gurriel did not start, he went 0-for-1 as a pinch hitter with a strikeout, while Soler went 1-for-4 with two strikeouts. On Saturday, Yandy Díaz and Randy Arozarena went hitless In a painful 17-4 loss to Houston, Díaz and Arozarena combined 0-for-6. In the second half of the season, Tampa has been a disaster, and Arozarena has been one of the players who has frozen offensively. As a result of his 0-for-3 performance on Saturday, Arozarena saw his slash line drop to .260/.366/.437, but he still has 17 HRs and 62 RBIs. Despite those solid numbers, Arozarena is only hitting .167/.258/.278 with 1 HR, 4 RBI, and 12 strikeouts in 54 at-bats since July 8. Yandy Díaz also went 0-for-3 and his offensive line is .312/.395/.498 with a personal mark of 14 HR and 50 RBI, only 14 off his best season mark. Lourdes Gurriel Jr. was dropped to sixth on Friday and then was gone from the D-backs' lineup on Saturday. Gurriel batted sixth and went 0-for-4 in Friday's 5-2 loss to Seattle, but then was gone for the D-backs lineup on Saturday. It's been rough sledding of late for Gurriel. who normally slots in at third or fifth in the lineup. The 2023 All-Star is 2-for-39 (.051) over the last 10 games and batting .140 since returning from his All-Star experience. The slump actually extends further back; Gurriel is batting just .171 over 43 games since June 1. Néstor Cortés recorded five strikeouts over four scoreless innings on Friday in a minor league rehab start for Double-A Somerset. Cortés allowed two hits and one walk, needing just 49 pitches (36 strikes) to navigate four frames. The 28-year-old left-hander is expected to return to New York’s starting rotation at some point in early August.

Major League Baseball (MLB) and other Cuban Players News for the 2023 season. A compendium from several sources Jul 26 Adolis García blasts grand slam and benches clear. García went 1-for-5 with a grand slam in Wednesday's 13-5 win over the Astros. García put a cap on the Rangers' seven-run fifth inning with his slam, which got him to the 25-homer mark for the season. As Astros' catcher Martin Maldonado was not pleased with something after Adolis' home run, the benches cleared. Adolis didn't seem to do anything out of the ordinary on the roundtripper. However, the 30-year-old did seem to take an extra second to admire the blast, but nothing that seemed to be egregious. No punches were thrown, and Astros slugger Yordan Álvarez did step in to try and play peacemaker before players from both benches and bullpens ran onto the field. Adolis has slumped a bit lately, going 3-for-22 over his last seven contests, though he's also recently dealt with a minor hand injury. For the season, he's slashing .259/.333/.513 with 84 RBI, 75 runs scored, six stolen bases and 22 doubles through 100 games as the Rangers' main cleanup hitter. Johan Oviedo was back in win column. Oviedo (4-11) picked up the win in Wednesday's 3-2 victory over the Padres, allowing one run on three hits and three walks over six innings. He struck out five. The right-hander tossed only 53 of 90 pitches for strikes, but he avoided serious damage and was able to collect his first win since May 19, having gone 0-8 in the 11 outings since. It's interesting to note that Oviedo received three automatic balls for taking too long between pitches in the first inning. Oviedo will carry a 4.60 ERA, 1.35 WHIP and 106:49 K:BB through 117.1 innings into his next start, likely to come at home next week against the Tigers. Yordan Álvarez got aboard three times in return. Álvarez went 1-for-2 with a double, a walk and a hit-by-pitch in Wednesday's 13-5 loss to the Rangers. Álvarez did fairly well in his return from a right oblique injury that sidelined him for over six weeks. He batted fifth as the designated hitter, which will likely be his primary position initially, though he could also challenge slumping rookie Corey Julks -- who is 0-for-24 over his last eight games -- for time in left field. Álvarez is slashing .279/.394/.593 with 17 home runs, 55 RBI, 41 runs scored and 13 doubles through 58 contests, so he should provide a power boost from the heart of the Astros' lineup. Randy Arozarena went hitless in a third straight game against the Marlins on Wednesday, finishing 0-for-4. Arozarena complained of some soreness last week after a wall collision, but his struggles date back further than that; he is hitting .165 with a 28/6 K/BB ratio in 98 plate appearances since June 25. With Wander Franco also in a miserable slump, the lineup just isn’t getting it done right now, but at the same time, it’s hard to see where the Rays can easily upgrade other than catcher, which is always complicated. A pair of hits for Yuli Gurriel and a hitless showing for Jorge Soler. Gurriel was again in the Marlins' lineup as they defeated the Rays 7-1. In the game, Gurriel went 2-for-4 with his 12th double of the season. With just 36 at-bats in July, Gurriel continues to see little action. At 245 PA, the veteran starter is batting .265/.327/.388 with 3 HR and 19 RBI. In the same game, Jorge Soler continued his prolonged slump by going 0-for-5 with two strikeouts. Soler hasn't homered since July 14, a period in which he has only two RBI. A disastrous .175/.246/.298 slash line in his last 15 games with 2 homers and 5 RBIs does not bode well for Soler. Yandy Díaz had encouraging MRI results. Rays manager Kevin Cash said Wednesday that the MRI results on Díaz's left groin were encouraging. Díaz didn't play in Wednesday's loss to the Marlins after exiting Tuesday's game with groin tightness. While it's not clear when he might be ready to return to the lineup, it appears he will be able to avoid the injured list for the time being. Díaz dealt with a left groin issue earlier this season as well but didn't require an IL stint at that time. Yasmani Grandal benched after eight consecutive starts. Grandal was out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Cubs. Grandal got a breather after he had started each of the last eight games at either designated hitter, first base or catcher. Now that the White Sox have all of their key position players healthy, Grandal's opportunities at DH and first base will likely become more scarce moving forward, though he should continue to play ahead of Seby Zavala at catcher. Enrique Hernández returning to Dodgers in trade isn't good news for Miguel Vargas. The Dodgers acquired Hernandez in a trade from the Red Sox on Tuesday, Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reported. The Red Sox received pitchers Nick Robertson and Justin Hagenman in return for Hernández, per Jeff Passan of ESPN.com. With the trade Cuban Miguel Vargas will find it very difficult to return to the Majors for the remainder of the 2023 season. This is unless an injury causes the Dodgers to drop a player. This acquisition illustrates the intentions of the front office by bringing in a player that not only has postseason experience, but is also very popular in Los Angeles. Hernández has posted an ugly .222/.279/.320 batting line in 323 plate appearances this season after also struggling at the dish in 2022, but he can play shortstop and second base, and the Dodgers need help at both spots. The 31-year-old seems likely to operate in a super-utility role, even covering some outfield, as he makes his return to Los Angeles. He played six seasons with the Dodgers between 2015 and 2020. Oscar Colás picked up his fourth steal. Colás went 1-for-4 with a stolen base and a run scored in Wednesday's 10-7 loss to the Cubs. Colás has logged two of his four steals this season over his last three games. The outfielder is still struggling for consistency at the plate -- he's batting .220 (11-for-50) over 15 contests since his recall to the majors July 4, failing to carry over his strong hitting from Triple-A Charlotte. Despite the struggles, he's seeing the bulk of the playing time in right field. Colás has a .214/.246/.270 slash line with one home run, nine RBI and 14 runs scored over 40 major-league games. Aledmys Díaz comes through as pinch hitter. Díaz entered Tuesday's loss to the Giants as a pinch hitter in the eighth inning and remained in the game at shortstop, going 1-for-1 with a run scored. Díaz led off the eighth with a pinch-hit knock and ended up scoring the game-tying run on JJ Bleday's single later in the frame. The veteran infielder is carrying an abysmal .211/.263/.287 slash line on the season, but Díaz has enjoyed a reasonably productive July in comparison -- he's posted a .267 average and .636 OPS with two doubles and three RBI across 34 plate appearances during the month. Andy Ibáñez took a seat in first contest. Ibáñez was absent from the lineup for the first game of Thursday's doubleheader against the Angels even when the games were postponed due to rain. Ibáñez had started seven of the last nine at second base. Rob Manfred has signed a four-year extension to remain MLB’s commissioner through January 2029, The Athletic’s Evan Drellich reports. Terms were not released, and Manfred’s salaries have never been public, though ESPN reported last year that the commissioner was making $17.5 million per year, plus bonuses that brought his compensation up to about $25 million. Manfred is in his ninth year as MLB’s commissioner, having replaced Bud Selig in 2015.

Major League Baseball (MLB) and other Cuban Players News for the 2023 season. A compendium from several sources Jul 25 Yennier Cano took a blown save in the ninth after allowing two runs Tuesday against the Phillies. With Félix Bautista unavailable, Cano was called upon to protect a precious one-run lead Tuesday. Sadly, things did not go his way. He allowed four hits, two of them would come around to score, and struck out just one batter. In that ninth inning, Trea Turner grounded out, Harper singled and Nick Castellanos struck out on a changeup. But Bryson Stott followed with an RBI double to score Harper from first base with the tying run before Alex Bohm's hit brought Stott home with the winning run. It was Cano's fifth blown save of the season. Afterwards, Cano said through team interpreter Brandon Quiñones: “It’s a difficult inning to pitch in”... “at the end of the day you have to get the job done, and unfortunately I didn’t do that tonight. And I’m also human; I make mistakes.” Adolis García went 1-for-4 on Tuesday in his return to the Rangers’ lineup. It’s an encouraging development that García returned to Texas’ lineup following a brief two-game absence due to a hand contusion. It doesn’t appear that he’ll wind up missing any additional time. The outfielder, who is tied for first in MLB with 80 RBI, finds himself in a mini-slump with just two hits over the last 17 at-bats. Moncada went 0-for-3 with an RBI against the Cubs on Tuesday. Moncada returned from a six-week absence caused by a back issue to start at third base and hit fifth. He struck out twice but managed a sacrifice fly in the seventh inning. There was some concern about Moncada's potential for playing time given the power production of Jake Burger while Moncada was sidelined, though Burger slid to second base Tuesday. That could leave both Zach Remillard and Elvis Andrus as the biggest playing-time losers due to Moncada's return. Yandy Díaz was removed from Tuesday’s game against the Marlins due to left groin tightness. Díaz was pulled from Tuesday's game against the Marlins with left groin tightness. After extending to catch a throw to first base, Díaz was removed from the game in the third inning and walked off with a noticeable limp. He's now officially listed as day-to-day with a groin injury and will be re-evaluated Wednesday when he will have a MRI. The 31-year-old infielder is slashing .321/.387/.482 since July 1. Manager Kevin Cash said that Díaz woke up Wednesday feeling no worse than Tuesday, so the Rays are optimistic that he won't have to go on the injured list as a result of the groin issue. Luke Raley will replace him at first base and will bat cleanup Wednesday. Yordán Álvarez was not activated from the injured list on Tuesday. The Astros continue to take things day-by-day with their 26-year-old superstar — with Wednesday looking like a realistic possibility for his return. Álvarez has been shelved since early June due to his oblique injury. Néstor Cortés will make his next minor league rehab start on Friday. No word yet whether he’ll take the ball for Double-A Somerset again or move up to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. The 28-year-old southpaw is expected to return to New York’s starting rotation in a few weeks.

Major League Baseball (MLB) and other Cuban Players News for the 2023 season. A compendium from several sources Jul 24 Cionel Pérez tossed a scoreless ninth inning on Monday against the Phillies to record his first save of the season. Perez picked up the save Monday against the Phillies, working around a hit and a walk in a scoreless ninth inning. Perez got the call in the ninth, with Felix Bautista having pitched in Baltimore's previous two games. After retiring the first two Phillies in the inning, Perez surrendered a base hit and a walk before coaxing a groundout from Johan Rojas to strand the tying and winning runs. While Perez isn't likely to see much closing work going forward, he's been solid lately, pitching to a 1.93 ERA over his last nine appearances (9.1 innings). Overall, the southpaw sports a 4.54 ERA with a 1.78 WHIP and 26:20 K:BB through 33.2 innings this season. Aroldis Chapman gave up lead. Chapman allowed three runs on one hit and two walks while striking out two over one inning in Monday's 10-9 loss to the Astros. It’s the first time this year that he’s given up three runs. He had been unscored upon as a Ranger, pitching seven scoreless innings with a 12/0 K/BB, but he walked two and gave up a three-run homer tonight. That long ball from Chas McCormick was the first he’s allowed all year. Obviously, this won’t help Chapman in the competition for saves in Texas, but it should be viewed as an aberration for now. José Abreu hitless but scored two. In Houston's important 10-9 win over Texas, Abreu did not get a hit but drew three walks. One of his two runs of the game came on McCormick's home run, which tied the score at 9 in the seventh inning for Houston. The Cienfuegos native was 0-for-2 with 2 strikeouts in the game and collected his 51st RBI of the year. He now has a slash line of .241/.296/.349. Dairon Blanco logged eighth steal. Blanco went 0-for-3 with a stolen base in Monday's 5-3 win over the Guardians. Blanco was plunked and stole second in the ninth inning. Aside from a four-hit effort July 18 versus the Tigers, the outfielder has been nothing special with the bat. He's managed eight stolen bases on 11 attempts through 64 plate appearances, but he's slashing a paltry .220/.281/.407 with three triples, five doubles, no home runs, six RBI and seven runs scored. Yordan Álvarez was not activated from the injured list prior to Monday’s game against the Rangers. The 26-year-old slugger was spotted on the field doing some light running during early workouts, but the Astros announced that he won’t be activated for Monday’s game — and that Álvarez would not be speaking to reporters on Monday. It sounds like they’re going to continue to take things day-to-day for the time being. Adolis García remained out of the Rangers’ starting lineup for Monday night’s showdown against the Astros. The 30-year-old slugger was plunked by another pitch — this time on his right hand — during Saturday’s game against the Dodgers. He sat out Sunday’s game as a precautionary measure and will ride the pine on Monday as well as he’s still dealing with some soreness and swelling. He’s still considered day-to-day and should avoid a trip to the injured list.

Major League Baseball (MLB) and other Cuban Players News for the 2023 season. A compendium from several sources Jul 23 Yandy Díaz homered in Sunday’s loss to the Orioles. The home run was Díaz’s 14th of the season, which ties a career-high. After going without a homer in 23 games in June, Díaz now has two in July, which is a far cry from the 12 home runs he hit in the first two months of the season. While the power numbers will continue to be modest with Díaz’s launch angle dropping again, the first baseman has been a solid producer with a .317/.401/.505 line as the Rays’ lead-off hitter. Oscar Colás with a three-hit day Sunday. Colás went 3-for-5 with a run and a stolen base in Sunday's loss to the Twins. He also had the the fastest OF assist of the year in MLB with a 100.9 mph throw to home plate in the second inning. Colás notched the first three-hit game of his MLB career and stole his first bag since April 8. The 24-year-old is still trying to settle in at the major league level, as he's slashing .233/.227/.279 with two extra-base hits, two RBI, five runs and a 0:16 BB:K 43 plate appearances since being recalled July 4. Colás does not own an everyday role right now but that could change with the White Sox expected to be sellers at the trade deadline. Raisel Iglesias struck out all three Brewers in the bottom of the ninth for a save Sunday. Iglesias had some of his best velocity of the year today, touching 97.7 mph on the gun, and he got five missed swings on his 14 pitches. His stuff hasn’t been consistent at all this year, but for one day, he looked like the Iglesias of old. He has a pair of saves over his last two appearances since his July 18 stumble versus Arizona. The right-hander has pitched a perfect inning in four of his eight appearances this month. He's at a 3.94 ERA, 1.28 WHIP and 37:9 K:BB with 18 saves in 20 chances over 29.2 innings this season. Andy Ibáñez went deep Sunday. Ibáñez went 1-for-3 with a solo home run in Sunday's 3-1 win over the Padres. Ibáñez and Spencer Torkelson each went deep to power the Tigers to the victory. It was Ibáñez's seventh home run of the season and first so far in July. The utility player has flashed on occasion this year, though he hasn't been an elite offensive option with a .685 OPS across 67 games. Ibáñez should continue to move around the diamond for Detroit. Néstor Cortés allowed one run over 2 1/3 innings in a rehab start with Double-A Somerset. Cortés struck out four batters and allowed a solo homer in his first start since landing on the 60-day injured list with a left rotator cuff sprain. He tossed 42 pitches, generated 11 swings and misses, and will likely need another couple more starts before he is ready to return to the Yankees rotation, sometime around the middle of August. Chapman was again impressive. Chapman threw 15 pitches in a scoreless eight inning. He struck out two of the batters. With his work he lowered his ERA to 1.98 for the year with a 5-3 record and 3 saves in 36 1/3 inning. In his last seven games he has 7 scoreless innings with 12 strikeouts and only three hits. Daysbel Hernández won his first MLB game after the Braves selected his contract from Triple-A Gwinnett. Daysbel pitched one scoreless inning of one hit with three strikeouts during his MLB debut to collect the win, a 4-2 victory against Milwaukee. Hernández struck out three of the four batters he faced in the seventh and set the stage for Ozzie Albies to give the Braves their latest comeback win with his go-ahead, three-run homer in the eighth inning. Hernández has now struck out 20 of the 27 batters he has faced for Double-A Mississippi, Triple-A Gwinnett and Atlanta over 7 2/3 innings going back to June 30. He has made a quick ascent after missing all of the 2022 season while recovering from Tommy John surgery. The 26-year-old reliever has pitched at three levels this season, posting a 2.05 ERA, 0.86 WHIP, and 32/10 K/BB ratio across 20 appearances. Prior to the promotion, the fireball reliever posted a 17 2/3 inning hitless streak between Double-A and Triple-A. It will be interesting to see how the Braves use him, but he isn’t a factor for saves with Rasiel Iglesias still on the roster. Adolis García was not in the Rangers’ starting lineup for Sunday’s showdown against the Dodgers. It was not surprising to see García out of the lineup Sunday after being hit on the right hand with a pitch in Saturday afternoon’s game. X-rays were negative, and it appears that he avoided serious injury.

Major League Baseball (MLB) and other Cuban Players News for the 2023 season. A compendium from several sources Jul 21 Johan Oviedo allowed five runs over four innings on Friday in a loss against the Angels. Oviedo (3-11) allowed five runs on three hits and three walks while striking out four over four innings to take the loss Friday versus the Angels. Oviedo didn’t allow his first hit until the fourth inning. But things got away from him quick. A walk and a double brought in the first run for the Angels before a pair of home runs brought four more home. Oviedo would only get through four innings on 75 pitches. The 25-year-old right-hander will take a 4.77 ERA, 1.37 WHIP, and a 101/46 K/BB across 111 1/3 innings into a matchup against the Padres in San Diego on Wednesday. Oviedo still has a problem pitching deep into games.Inconsistency is the biggest problem here.In his two previous starts, he shut out the White Sox over 6 2/3 innings, registering 18 swinging strikes on 89 pitches, and he struck out 10 in seven one-run innings against the Cardinals.Between those two starts, he issued just one walk.His slider has improved by about 3 mph since a year ago, and it has turned him into a legitimate bat-misser, but for some reason he can't make three great consecutive stars. Yasmani Grandal is regaining playing time. Luis Robert hitless. Grandal went 1-for-3 with a two-run home run and a walk Friday against the Twins. Grandal began losing playing time to Seby Zavala in early July, but he has now started six of the team's last seven games. Three of those came at designated hitter with Eloy Jiménez sidelined, but Grandal has started consecutive games at catcher since Jiménez has returned. He's homered twice in 20 at-bats across his last six games, though he is striking out at a 34.8 percent clip. Luis Robert went hitless with two strikeouts in four at bats in the same game. Cionel Pérez pitched another excellent inning in relief. During Baltimore's 3-0 loss to Tampa Bay, Cionel Pérez had a solid performance.In the eighth inning, Cionel struck out two on 11 pitches, seven of which were strikes. The only runs - two - he has allowed in his last seven games were on July 18 against the Dodgers,a span during which he has struck out nine and posted a 2.25 ERA. Adolis García returned to the Rangers’ starting lineup for Friday night’s tilt against the Dodgers. The 30-year-old slugger was pulled from Wednesday’s game after being hit in the arm by a pitch, but X-rays came back negative for any fractures and the pain and swelling went down during Thursday’s off-day. He was back in right field and batting cleanup against Tony Gonsolin and the Dodgers on Friday evening. He went 1-for-2 with two walks and added his 22nd double of the season. Jorge Soler went hitless on Friday. Gurriel didn't play. In Miami's 6-1 loss to Colorado, Soler went 0-for-4 with 2 strikeouts.The loss of Soler in the second half of the season has contributed to Miami's 7-game losing streak, which has pushed Miami to third in the NL East.Eight of Miami's last ten games have ended in losses. Oscar Colás did not play Friday. Colás was not in the starting lineup Friday against Minnesota. Colás took a seat after he went 0-for-9 with an RBI and three strikeouts over the team's three-game series with the Mets. There is still a long way to go before the Cuban outfielder is ready for the Majors, and the question is, when will he be? Andy Ibáñez took a breather Friday. Ibáñez was not in the starting lineup Friday versus the Padres. Ibáñez took a seat after he started all four games of a series with Kansas City, going 4-for-12 with an RBI and a run scored over those contests.

Major League Baseball (MLB) and other Cuban Players News for the 2023 season. A compendium from several sources Jul 20 Raisel Iglesias worked around a hit and a walk to turn in a scoreless ninth and earn his 17th save Thursday versus the Diamondbacks. Iglesias took a loss after giving up three runs in a tie game in his previous appearance Tuesday. He hasn’t resembled a shutdown closer at any point in 2023, but he’s taken just two blown saves, the last coming over a month ago. He picked up the save in Thursday's 7-5 win over Arizona. He allowed one hit and one walk over a scoreless inning. Iglesias entered the game with a two-run lead in the top of the ninth and certainly made things interesting after surrendering a walk to Emmanuel Rivera, followed by a single from Jake McCarthy. However, the right-handed reliever needed only seven pitches to retire the next two hitters and get out of the jam, recording his 17th save of the season in the process. Iglesias has now converted each of his last eight save opportunities, with his last blown save coming back on June 12. Luis Robert swipes 10th bag. Robert went 1-for-4 with a run scored and a steal in Thursday's 6-2 win over the Mets. Robert is now 10-for-12 in stolen base attempts this year, putting him one bag shy of his career best set last season. The 25-year-old outfielder also extended his hitting streak to five games -- he's gone 8-for-22 (.364) with two home runs and six RBI in that span. Robert is slashing .275/.329/.571 through 395 plate appearances while setting new career highs this season with 28 homers, 65 runs scored and 57 RBI. Yordan Álvarez is scheduled to play in minor league rehab games on Friday and Saturday for Triple-A Sugar Land. Álvarez is getting the night off on Thursday before getting in a pair of rehab games later this week. Astros general manager Dana Brown said earlier this week that the hope is that the 26-year-old All-Star slugger will be ready to return to Houston’s lineup for Monday’s series opener against the Rangers. Randy Arozarena was back in Rays’ lineup on Thursday against Baltimore. Yandy with two RBI. Arozarena experienced some soreness in his right knee and back after colliding with the outfield wall during Wednesday’s game, but fortunately didn't cost him any time. He was back into his normal clean-up spot for Tampa Bay, who entered a critical series with the Orioles as both teams battle for the AL East lead, and lost 4-3 in extra innings. There is no doubt the Orioles are serious contenders to win the AL East, and they aren't wasting any time. I don't think it was a good decision to let Arozarena play. In the game he went 0-for-5 with 4 strikeouts. With the game 1-0 Rays up, there was also a mental error made by Arozarena that allowed Gunnar Henderson to triple in the 4th inning, after he delayed his infield throw on Henderson's double to left field. It ended up being a three-run inning for Orioles. In the same game, Yandy Díaz added two more RBI to reach 45 on the year. Despite going 1-for-5, he struck out three times. Lourdes Gurriel Jr. got a rest on Thursday in the series finale against the Braves. Gurriel has really struggled of late, hitting .199/.253/.390 over 34 games since June 1st. During the game, he entered as a pinch hitter and went 0-for-1.

Major League Baseball (MLB) and other Cuban Players News for the 2023 season. A compendium from several sources Jul 19 Luis Robert Jr. homered on Wednesday in the White Sox’ loss to the Mets. The home run was Robert Jr’s only hit of the game and one of just three hits for Chicago on the night. While the 25-year-old was just 1-for-4 on the evening, he’s been on fire in July, hitting .302 with four home runs, 11 RBI, and three steals. He’s now up to 28 home runs on the year and is finally healthy enough to make good on the promise he flashed in earlier seasons. X-rays came back negative on Adolis García’s left arm after being hit by a pitch during Wednesday’s game against the Rays. Rangers manager Bruce Bochy told reporters that García is merely dealing with a contusion after being hit on the left arm in the forearm or elbow area by a pitch during the eighth inning of Wednesday’s series finale. Fantasy managers should consider him day-to-day for now. It’s a massive relief that the 30-year-old, who leads the majors with 80 RBI this season, managed to avoid a serious injury. Lourdes Gurriel delivers with two outs. Gurriel went 1-for-5 with a double and two RBI in Wednesday's 5-3 win over Atlanta. Gurriel didn't allow Charlie Morton to escape a bases-loaded jam in the third inning, when he knocked a two-out, two-run double. All five of the Diamondbacks' runs scored with two outs. The RBI were the first since the All-Star break for Gurriel, who snapped a six-game run without driving in a run. Randy Arozarena told reporters following Wednesday’s contest against the Rangers that he’s dealing with some right knee and back soreness after a collision with the left-field wall. Arozarena went crashing into the left-field wall to rob Marcus Semien of extra bases in the seventh inning of Wednesday’s contest, but was able to remain in the game. It’s possible he’ll be ready for Thursday’s series opener against the Orioles, but it wouldn’t be a surprise to see Tampa Bay give him some time off to rest and recover. He will be monitored closely. Néstor Cortés will begin a minor league rehab assignment on Sunday with Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. Yankees manager Aaron Boone told reporters Wednesday that Cortés will likely require at least three rehab outings before rejoining New York’s starting rotation mix, which puts his return sometime in early-to-mid August range. The 28-year-old lefty has been out since early June due to a left rotator cuff sprain. Yordan Álvarez got four plate appearances as a DH for Triple-A Sugar Land on Wednesday, going 1-for-3 with a walk. It was Álvarez’s first rehab game as he makes his way back from an oblique strain. As long as he avoids any setbacks, he should rejoin the Astros this weekend. In an interview after the game, Álvarez stated “I lost already enough time. I’m ready to play with the team. I’ve done my duties and I’m ready to get back into”. He will play the outfield today in his next rehab start. Cionel Pérez returned from injured list on Tuesday. Pérez was activated from the 15-day injured list Tuesday, Andy Kostka of TheBaltimoreBanner.com reported. Pérez wound up missing just the minimum 15 days with left forearm soreness. Nick Vespi was sent down in a corresponding move.

Major League Baseball (MLB) and other Cuban Players News for the 2023 season. A compendium from several sources Jul 17 Aroldis Chapman struck out all three batters he faced in a tie game in the ninth and was rewarded with a win Monday against the Rays. Chapman (5-2) picked up the win over Tampa Bay on Monday. He struck out the side in the ninth inning. For the first out of the inning, Chapman got Isaac Paredes to swing through a 102-mile-per-hour fastball and then froze centerfielder Jose Siri with a 103-mile-per-hour fastball at the knees for the second out of the inning, breaking his personal record for the fastest pitch in Rangers franchise history. Chapman was the pitcher of record when the Rangers walked off the Rays in the bottom of the inning. It was his first victory in a Texas uniform, and the left-hander remained unblemished for his new club. Chapman, who was recently named a co-closer with Will Smith, has not allowed a run or a walk while striking out 10 over six appearances since coming over from Kansas City. Rays activated 1B/3B Yandy Díaz from the paternity leave list. Randy Arozarena and Adolis García hitless. Díaz was reinstated from the paternity list Monday. Díaz was back with the Rays as they headed to Texas for a three-game series with the Rangers. The 31-year-old is looking to pick up where he left off prior to the All-Star break, going 9-for-16 with a homer, a double, four RBI and two runs scored over his last four games. On Monday's 3-2 loss to the Rangers, Díaz went 1-for-4 with a run scored and a strikeout. In the same game, Randy Arozarena was 0-for-3 with his RBI #60 of the year while for Texas Adolis García went 0-for-4 with three strikeouts and no RBI to extend his MLB lead of 80. Nationals officially signed second-round pick 3B Yohandy Morales. It’s a over-slot deal for Morales, who lands a $2.6 million signing bonus, which is close to $500,000 above slot value for the 40th overall pick. The 21-year-old corner outfielder offers a ton of over-the-fence power and launched 20 homers over 61 games this spring for Miami in his final collegiate season.

Major League Baseball (MLB) and other Cuban Players News for the 2023 season. A compendium from several sources Jul 16 Luis Robert Jr. was tremendous on Sunday, going 4-for-5 with a home run and three RBI as the White Sox pounded the Braves 8-1. Robert went 4-for-5 with a home run and three RBI in Sunday's win over Atlanta. Robert extended Chicago's lead to 4-0 in the second inning with an RBI single before breaking the game open with a two-run homer off Michael Soroka in the sixth, his 27th long ball of the year. The 25-year-old Robert has at least one hit in 28 of his last 35 games -- he's batting .316 with 14 home runs in that span. It's been a breakthrough season for Robert. He's now slashing .276/.332/.575 with 63 runs scored and 56 RBI, both career highs, while going 8-for-10 on stolen base attempts. Yordan Álvarez participated in full baseball activities on Sunday. The 26-year-old slugger is finally feeling better after battling an illness over the weekend. He took batting practice on the field with the team on Sunday, and also threw and ran in the outfield. It sounds like he should head out on a minor league rehab assignment early in the week and if all goes well could potentially rejoin the Astros at some point during their weekend series against the Athletics in Oakland. Adolis García produces RBI in fourth straight. García went 2-for-4 with a double, an RBI and a run scored in Sunday's 6-5 win over the Guardians. García was involved in the key four-run, eighth-inning rally that turned a loss into a win. He was the second of three batters with a run-scoring hit. The slugger has delivered runs in four straight contests and is up to a league-high 80 RBI. Padres placed Adrian Morejón on the 15-day injured list with right knee inflammation. Morejón was placed on the 15-day injured list Sunday. The left-hander reportedly suffered a right knee strain in the second game of Saturday's doubleheader. Morejón will undergo imaging to determine the full extent of the injury. Right-hander Matt Waldron was recalled to take Morejón's place on the active roster. Oscar Colás got a breather Sunday. Colas wasn't in the White Sox's lineup Sunday versus Atlanta. After going 2-for-4 with a double and two runs scored during Saturday's contest, Colás got a day off Sunday against left-hander Kolby Allard. Eloy Jiménez started in right field, moving Yasmani Grandal into the DH slot while batting seventh. Aroldis Chapman earned his first save with new team on Saturday. Chapman allowed one hit and struck out two over a scoreless ninth inning to record a save in Saturday's 2-0 win over the Guardians. Chapman threw 10 of 12 pitches for a strike to record his first save since joining the Rangers at the end of June. Texas manager Bruce Bochy announced earlier in the day that Chapman will share the closer role with Will Smith, and the manager wasted no time giving the recent bullpen addition his first opportunity. Smith was used as the bridge, getting five outs before Chapman took over. Bochy said whichever reliever gets the call to close out games will depend on the set of hitters due up. Both are lefties, so it will not be solely based on lefty-righty matchups.

Major League Baseball (MLB) and other Cuban Players News for the 2023 season. A compendium from several sources Jul 9 Yandy Díaz went 3-for-5 with a homer and four RBI as the Rays halted their seven-game losing streak by beating the Braves 10-4 on Sunday. The 31-year-old delivered his third straight multi-hit effort versus Atlanta, though he didn't have any extra-base hits or run production in the first two games of the series. The home run ends a 34-game span without a long ball for Diaz, though he still provided plenty of value atop the lineup during that stretch with a .301 average and .367 OBP. Díaz was one of the few Rays hitting of late; he batted .348 during the seven-game skid. The homer was his 13th and gave him 43 RBI, which is pretty good for a leadoff man. He closes out the half as the AL leader in OBP at .408. Jorge Soler one hit on Sunday after notching his 23rd homer on Saturday. Soler went 1-for-4 and two strikeouts in Sunday's 7-3 victory over Philadelphia. On Saturday Soler got the Marlins' offense going early, taking Ranger Suárez yard for a solo homer in the first inning and then knocking in Dane Myers with a sacrifice fly in the fourth. Today's performance extended his hit streak to seven contests, a stretch in which Soler is batting .400 with eight runs scored and four RBI. Yasmani Grandal is losing work to Zavala. Grandal was out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Cardinals. Grandal is on the bench for the second straight day and for the fifth time in seven games, perhaps signaling that there's been a changing of the guard atop the depth chart at catcher. Seby Zavala picked up another turn behind the dish in place of Grandal, who has turned in an underwhelming .594 OPS since the beginning of June and has also taken a step back defensively in 2023. Nationals selected Miami 3B Yohandy Morales with the 40th pick of the 2023 MLB Draft. Born in Miami, but the son of Cuban third baseman Andy Morales, Yohandy has a power-over-hit profile, which might be enough to carry him to the majors someday. He smacked 20 homers in his junior year at Miami, while slashing an eye-popping .408/.475/.713 across 61 games for the Hurricanes. However, with the good comes the bad. He takes huge swings, which can get him in trouble with strikeouts. He chases out of the zone regularly, and will need a strong player development staff to help him change his game. While Morales truly has a power over hit profile, he has improved his swing during his time at Miami, which should bring future success in professional ball. Yordan Álvarez is closing in on rehab assignment. Astros general manager Dana Brown said Sunday that Álvarez will "for sure" head out on a rehab assignment shortly after the All-Star break. Álvarez doesn't sound like he'll be an option for the Astros' first series of the second half that begins Friday in Anaheim, but if he joins a minor-league affiliate by next weekend and is able to get at least a game or two under his belt, he could be ready to return from the 10-day injured list at some point during the third week of July. The slugger has resided on the IL since June 9 due to the right oblique strain. Néstor Cortés threw a bullpen session before Sunday’s game against Cubs. Cortés threw 20 pitches on Sunday and told reporters that he felt “totally pain-free” after the session. He will toss two more sessions, one on Thursday and the other the following Monday. Cortés has been on the injured list since early June with a left rotator cuff sprain. He was transferred to the 60-day injured list and cannot return until the first week of August. Adolis García was ejected Saturday but was back in Texas lineup on Sunday. García was ejected from Saturday's game after striking out in the eighth inning. He finished the game 0-for-3 with a walk and a run scored. That explains why Robbie Grossman replaced García late in the game, for those wondering. García's strikeout was of the swinging variety, so he may have been upset at an earlier called strike. On Sunday he was back in the lineup in a 7-2 loss to the Nationals. García went 1-for-4 with 2 RBI. García is leading the Majors in RBI with 75 and ended the first half of the season with a .261/.331/.517 slash line with 23 homers. Aledmys Díaz benched with righty starting. Díaz was out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Red Sox. While Oakland faced left-handed starting pitchers in four of its past five games, Díaz had started at first base or third base on four occasions, going a collective 4-for-15 during that stretch. He was on the bench Sunday versus right-hander Tayler Scott and looks as though he'll be relegated to a utility role for the time being, with most of Díaz's starting opportunities expected to come against southpaws. Vladimir Gutiérrez is months away from facing hitters. Gutiérrez is tentatively scheduled to resume facing hitters in live batting practice July 25, according to C. Trent Rosecrans of The Athletic. Gutiérrez is working his way back from Tommy John surgery, a procedure he underwent July 20, 2022. The fact that the Reds have already identified a date a month down the road for when Gutiérrez might face hitters suggests he's already resumed a throwing program, though it's unclear whether he's currently throwing bullpen sessions or if he remains limited to playing catch off flat ground. Cincinnati is hoping that Gutiérrez will be ready to start a minor-league rehab assignment in the first week of August before potentially joining the big-league bullpen later that month or sometime in September. Dodgers optioned INF Miguel Vargas to Triple-A Oklahoma City. This was expected. The 23-year-old rookie infielder has been slumping at the dish. He’ll attempt to work through his issues at the Triple-A level before returning at some point after the All-Star break. On the season, Vargas has hit just .195/.305/.367 with seven homers, 32 RBI and three stolen bases in 304 plate appearances with the Dodgers.