Major League Baseball (MLB) and other Cuban Players News for the 2023 season. A compendium from several sources Jun 17 Aroldis Chapman got a win despite giving up a run in the ninth Saturday against the Angels. Chapman (2-2) allowed a run on a hit and two walks while striking out three in one inning to earn the win Saturday over the Angels. Chapman struggled versus the heart of the Angels' order, but he limited the damage to a Mike Trout RBI single. The Royals then rallied for two runs in the bottom of the ninth inning to get the walk-off win. Chapman has given up just two runs over his last 10.2 innings with a 23:11 K:BB over that span. While the elevated walk rate is concerning, he continues to be effective in a high-leverage role for a Royals team that rarely has a lead to protect. He's pitched to a 2.96 ERA, 1.36 WHIP and 44:17 K:BB through 24.1 innings this year while adding two saves, seven holds and two blown saves. Diamondbacks' Lourdes Gurriel: Snaps skid Saturday. Gurriel went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Saturday's 6-3 win over the Guardians. Gurriel entered Saturday 0-for-22 over his last five games, and he went hitless in his first three at-bats before popping an eighth-inning homer. The 29-year-old was one of the best hitters in the majors in May, but he's cooled off dramatically by batting just .125 (5-for-40) through 11 contests in June. Despite the recent slump, he's still slashing .278/.327/.513 with 11 homers, 40 RBI, 32 runs scored and a stolen base through 60 games this season. José Abreu: A single on Saturday. In a 10-3 loss to the Reds Saturday night, José Abreu went 1-for-4 with a strikeout. He saw action as a DH and had no RBI in the game. Across his first 69 games of the season, he has only fifteen-extra base hits. Abreu has settled into the fifth spot in the lineup with Yordan Álvarez sidelined and is slashing a mere .231/.287/.318 with 4 home runs and 33 RBI. Randy Arozarena went 0-for-4 with four strikeouts on Saturday in the Rays' shutout loss to the Padres. Yandy Díaz with a hit. There are going to be nights like this, even for one of the top lineups in baseball. Arozarena was unable to get anything going in this one as the Rays mustered only three hits combined in a shutout loss at Petco Park. In the same game Yandi Díaz went 1-for-3 with a walk and two strikeouts. Tampa Bay hitters had 17 strikeouts in the game. Yasmani Grandal remained on bench. Grandal sat Saturday against Seattle. Grandal grabbed five hits across the last two games against the Dodgers, but his reward has been to sit for the first two games against the Mariners.

Major League Baseball (MLB) and other Cuban Players News for the 2023 season. A compendium from several sources Jun 16 Randy Arozarena went 2-for-4 with a home run and four RBI on Friday to lead the Rays to a 6-2 win over the Padres. Arozarena went 2-for-4 with a home run and four RBI in Friday's victory over San Diego. He was also caught stealing. Arozarena's 13th long ball of the year was a three-run blast in the fifth inning to put the game out of reach. It was his first homer since his walk-off blast June 7, snapping an eight-game homerless drought. The star outfielder owns a robust .285/.403/.488 slash line with 48 RBI and 22 extra-base hits through 295 plate appearances. However, Arozarena has now been caught stealing seven times in 16 attempts. Yankees' manager Aaron Boone noted on Friday that Nestor Cortés could start his throwing program on Sunday. The left-hander has been shelved since early June due to a left rotator cuff sprain. The fact that he's already up and ready to throw again bodes well for his status going forward. He's unlikely to rejoin the Yankees' rotation before the All-Star break, but if all goes right he could be ready shortly thereafter. Reds optioned INF/OF José Barrero to Triple-A Louisville. With the return of Nick Senzel from the injured list on Friday, someone needed to go from the active roster and it looks like Barrero was the odd-man out this time around. The 25-year-old has hit .218/.295/.323 with two homers, 17 RBI and three stolen bases in 149 plate appearances on the season. Royals signed INF Adeiny Hechavarría to a minor league contract. Hechavarría had been playing with the independent Long Island Ducks after failing to make the Braves out of spring training. The 34-year-old hasn't appeared in the majors since 2020 and will mostly function as organization depth at this point in his career. Yasmani Grandal was not in lineup Friday. Grandal was not in the lineup Friday against the Mariners. Grandal went 5-for-10 in the final two games of Chicago's previous series against the Dodgers, but he had some rest Friday night in Seattle.

Major League Baseball (MLB) and other Cuban Players News for the 2023 season. A compendium from several sources Jun 15 Johan Oviedo was knocked out in the fifth inning against the Cubs on Thursday, allowing four runs in 4 1/3 innings in a loss. Oviedo (3-6) took the loss Thursday, allowing four runs on eight hits and one walk over 4.1 innings against the Cubs. He did strike out eight. Most of the damage came in the fifth inning, where Oviedo gave up three hits to his first four batters faced before getting yanked after 100 pitches. A Nico Hoerner stolen base was cashed in by Ian Happ in the fourth inning, and Oviedo was pulled after allowing three of the first four hitters to reach in the fifth inning. The bullpen immediately allowed both inherited runners he left with to score. Despite a pedestrian 4.16 ERA on the season, Oviedo has a 2.79 ERA and 38 strikeouts in 38 2/3 IP over his last seven starts. Oviedo's scheduled to have a rematch with the Cubs next Tuesday. White Sox's Luis Robert: Swats solo shot. Robert went 1-for-4 with a solo home run and a walk against the Dodgers in an extra-innings loss Thursday. Robert and Eloy Jiménez pushed Chicago to a fast start by hitting back-to-back homers in the first inning, though Robert would go on to strike out in three of his final four plate appearances. The performance is a pretty accurate encapsulation of the outfielder's play of late -- he's gone deep three times in his past four games but has also struck out in one-third of his plate appearances over that stretch. Robert has already established a career-high mark with 17 homers on the campaign, though both his .264 batting average and 29.5 percent strikeout rate are each his worst since his rookie season. Yennier Cano was scoreless on Thursday. Even though Cano hasn't looked the same as he did earlier in the season, he managed to pitch an inning on Thursday in which he gave up three hits, a walk, and one strikeout, but did not surrender any runs. In the seventh inning, Cano allowed a hit and a walk before retiring George Springer for the third out. In the next inning, with one out, he allowed two singles and was replaced by Felix Bautista with the tying run on second base, despite striking out Whit Merrifield for the second out of the inning. The 29-year-old now has a 0.80 WHIP and 34:5 K:BB over 35.0 innings. His ratios make him great asset even though he is not first in line for saves since he should be the next guy up whenever Bautista rests. Golden sombrero for Lourdes Gurriel Jr. He struck out in all four at-bats on an rather quiet afternoon for Lourdes Gurriel Jr. He is still having a great season. Gurriel owns a .285/.335/.516 slash line this season, homering ten times in 58 games. However, in his last seven games he is been slashing .111/.172/.296 with a homer, 6 RBI, and 11 strikeouts. Miguel Vargas had no hits on Thursday. In a 5-4 victory against the White Sox, Vargas went 0-for-4 with 2 strikeouts and a walk. His eye has been his biggest strength in his first full major-league season, collecting 32 walks in 64 games. He is slashing just .212/.305/.376 with 6 homers and 29 RBI. José Abreu went hitless against the Nationals. Abreu went 0-for-4 with 3 strikeouts Thursday in a 4-1 loss to the Nationals in extra innings. For the veteran first baseman whose bat was rattling lately, it was a step back. He is now slashing .230/.285/.315 with 4 homers and 33 RBI this year. Yasmani Grandal with two more hits in Thursday's loss. Grandal went 2-for-5 with a strikeout in Thursday's 5-4 loss to the Dodgers. Grandal has gone 10-for-34 (.294) in June with a homer and 3 RBI. He is hitting .271/.330/.410 with five home runs, 18 RBI and 15 runs scored over 206 plate appearances. Yandy Díaz was out Thursday. Arozarena went hitless. Díaz was out of the lineup for Thursday's game in Oakland. Díaz appears to be receiving a routine maintenance day in the series finale after he reached base four times in Wednesday's win. In the same game, Randy Arozarena went 0-for-4 with two strikeouts. Adolis García had two hits on Thursday. García went 2-for-5 with a double (13) a run scored and a RBI in Thursday's 5-3 loss to the Angels. García collected his RBI #55 of the year in 67 games. He is slashing .258/.323/.484 with 15 home runs, 25 walks and 49 runs scored this year. White Sox placed INF Yoán Moncada on the 10-day injured list, retroactive to June 14, with lower back inflammation. Moncada has been bothered by the issue all season and previously required a stint on the IL from from April 10-May 12. He's struggled since returning and the White Sox will have to hope that some extended rest does the trick. It's much too soon to speculate on a timetable for his return this time.

Major League Baseball (MLB) and other Cuban Players News for the 2023 season. A compendium from several sources Jun 14 José Abreu homered, doubled and drove in three runs on Wednesday night, powering the Astros to a 5-4 victory over the Nationals. Abreu went 3-for-4 with a double, a solo homer, three RBI and two runs scored in Wednesday's victory over the Nationals. Abreu got the scoring started in the ballgame with a two-run double off of Josiah Gray in the opening inning. He then crushed a 417-foot (109.6 mph EV) solo shot off of the right-hander in the fourth inning that extended the Astros' lead to 3-0. After going what felt like a full calendar year without a home run, Abreu has now belted three long balls in his last five games. He's still slashing a mere .233/.289/.320 on the season with four homers and 33 RBI, but his bat is finally showing signs of life. Jorge Soler went 1-for-2 with a solo homer and three walks on Wednesday in the Marlins' 4-1 win over the Mariners. Soler showed both power and patience at the plate on Wednesday, drawing a walk in his first two at-bats before blasting a solo homer off Luis Castillo to lead off the sixth. He'd draw one more free pass before the game was done. Soler has drawn nine walks over his last seven games, and he's added three homers in that span. He ended his day hitting .258/.357/.564 with 20 homers, 37 runs scored, 12 doubles and 40 RBI across 272 plate appearances and 65 games while enjoying his best season since 2019. Dairon Blanco went 2-for-5 with a double, triple and an RBI as the Royals fell to the Reds on Wednesday evening in Kansas City. The 30-year-old speedster smacked an RBI double in the sixth inning that pulled the Royals to within five runs at 7-2. He also added a two-out triple in the eighth, but was stranded at third base. It looks like the Royals are going to give him everyday at-bats in the outfield for the time being, making him a worthy speculative add for the team if looking to add speed. Yandy Díaz went 2-for-3 with an RBI, a run scored, and a walk on Wednesday in the Rays' 6-3 win over the A's. Díaz knocked a single to start the game, but was thrown out at third on a base hit by Wander Franco. He doubled in the fifth to bring in the tying run and drew a walk in the seventh to reach base for the third time. The 31-year-old infielder is batting .311/.404/.539 with 12 homers, 44 runs scored, and 36 RBI across 255 plate appearances. White Sox's Luis Robert: Smacks 16th homer. Robert went 2-for-6 with a solo home run, an additional run scored and a double in Wednesday's 8-4 win over the Dodgers. Robert has five multi-hit efforts and three homers over his last nine contests. He's up to 16 long balls on the year after taking Clayton Kershaw deep in the third inning Wednesday. Robert has added a .264/.319/.532 slash line with 35 RBI, 43 runs scored, four stolen bases and 19 doubles through 66 contests. While his ratios are lower than usual, he's enjoyed a run of good health so far while holding down an everyday role. Tigers' Andy Ibáñez: Big day Wednesday. Ibáñez went 4-for-9 with a solo home run and three runs scored across both games of Wednesday's doubleheader against Atlanta. Ibáñez started the first game of the day at second base before shifting to third, and he registered three singles and scored twice. He started in left in the second game and added his fourth home run of the year. Ibáñez is still batting only .221 this season and should continue to serve in a utility role for the Tigers. White Sox manager Pedro Grifol told reporters Wednesday that he's unsure if Yoán Moncada (back) will require a trip to the injured list. Grifol divulged to reporters that Moncada is dealing with an ongoing back issue, which has been a recurring problem throughout the 2023 campaign so far, and might end up needing some time off. Moncada has struggled mightily as of late with a slash of .139/.162/.250 over 36 at-bats in the month of June and no multi-hit games since May 16 versus Cleveland. White Sox's Yasmani Grandal: Three hits in Wednesday's win. Grandal went 3-for-5 with a double in Wednesday's 8-4 win over the Dodgers. Grandal has gone 8-for-29 (.276) in June despite hitting safely in just four of nine contests. The catcher remains the White Sox's top option behind the dish with a steady .268/.328/.410 slash line, five home runs, 18 RBI and 15 runs scored over 201 plate appearances. Grandal has a career-worst 7.5 percent walk rate, but it's not holding him back much in 2023. Working with a four-run lead, Raisel Iglesias gave up a run on three hits in the ninth Wednesday in the first game of the doubleheader against the Tigers. It would have been two runs if pretty much anyone besides Miguel Cabrera was on second base for the third hit of the inning. Iglesias's velocity isn't down much from last year and he's still getting plenty of swings and misses, but he's been shaky since returning from his shoulder issue. He's now given up eight hits in his last two innings of work, and that's pretty much a typical month's worth of hits from him. Overall, he has a 4.32 ERA in 16 2/3 innings. In Game 2 6-5 win, Iglesias didn't get a chance to pitch after throwing 31 pitches in Game 1. Astros general manager Dana Brown told reporters Wednesday that Yordan Álvarez (oblique) will be out four weeks. Brown confirmed that Álvarez underwent an MRI that allowed the club to determine a clearer timetable for his potential return. The definitive timeline puts the 25-year-old fantasy superstar's return sometime shortly after next month's All-Star break. Johan Oviedo will start today against the Cubs. It sounds like the Pirates are going to give veteran left-hander Rich Hill an extra day of rest with Oviedo taking the ball for Thursday's series finale.

From June 23 to July 8, the Central American and Caribbean Games will be held in San Salvador, while the baseball tournament will be held from June 24 to July 1 Cuba's team is once again managed by Armando Johnson. Cuban Baseball Federation announced 24 players. Both Yasmani Tomás and Roberto Baldoquín, two repatriates who were seeking to join the national roster, were not selected. A decision was made to integrate the team taking into account previous preparations for the World Baseball Classic and performances in the current National Series and foreign leagues, according to Juan R. Pérez, president of the Cuban Baseball Federation. The Caribbean tournament will also include Mexico, Curaçao, Nicaragua, El Salvador, Venezuela, the Dominican Republic, and the defending champion, Puerto Rico. Cuba has not won a Central American and Caribbean baseball tournament event since the 2014 edition in Veracruz, Mexico, when they beat Nicaragua 9-3 in the final to win their 15th title in these tournaments, the most of any team. The last baseball edition of these games, in 2018, saw Cuba finish in second place with a 5-2 record, only behind Puerto Rico (5-2), which, in a tournament involving a round-robin format, won by a score of 8-1, despite having the same record of wins and losses. The Cuban team also lost to Venezuela 2-1 in that tournament. The 2023 baseball tournament will be held at Saturnino Bengoa park, which was inaugurated in 1957. The stadium has been completely remodeled for this tournament. Cuba will open the tournament on June 24 against Mexico. San Salvador's Central American baseball tournament will also determine four places for Santiago de Chile's Pan American Baseball tournament in 2023. Here is the Cuban roster: Pitchers (11): Carlos J. Viera (LTU), Yoenni Yera (MTZ), Yeudis Reyes (GTM), Javier Mirabal (VCL), José R. Rodríguez (CAM), Naikel Cruz (MTZ), Jonathan Carbó (IJV), Franklin Quintana (IJV), Miguel Neira (SSP), Yunieski García (ART), and Renner Rivero (MTZ) Catchers (2): Yunior Ibarra (SSP) and Andrys Pérez (MTZ) Infielders (7): Erisbel Arruebarruena (MTZ), Dayán García (ART), Yadil Mujica (MTZ), Yordan Manduley (HOL), Luis V. Mateo (CFG), Guillermo Avilés (GRM), and Yasniel González (MAY) Outfielders (4): Roel Santos (GRM), Yoelkis Guibert (SCU), Yurisbel Gracial (MTZ), and Raico Santos (GRM) Manager: Armando Johnson Central American and Caribbean Games 2023 baseball tournament schedule Saturday, June 24 México vs Cuba Puerto Rico vs Venezuela Rep. Dominicana vs Nicaragua Curazao vs El Salvador Sunday, June 25 Venezuela vs Rep. Dominicana Cuba vs Curazao Nicaragua vs Puerto Rico El Salvador vs México Monday, June 26 Puerto Rico vs Rep. Dominicana México vs Curazao Venezuela vs Cuba Nicaragua vs El Salvador Tuesday, June 27 Curazao vs Venezuela Nicaragua vs México Cuba vs Puerto Rico El Salvador vs Rep. Dominicana Wednesday, June 28 Puerto Rico vs Curazao Venezuela vs Nicaragua Rep. Dominicana vs México Cuba vs El Salvador Thursday, June 29 Puerto Rico vs México Rep. Dominicana vs Cuba Curazao vs Nicaragua El Salvador vs Venezuela Friday, June 30 Nicaragua vs Cuba Curazao vs Rep. Dominicana México vs Venezuela El Salvador vs Puerto Rico Saturday, July 1 Third-place game: 4 vs 3 places Gold game: 2 vs 1 places

Major League Baseball (MLB) and other Cuban Players News for the 2023 season. A compendium from several sources Jun 12 Andy Ibáñez went 3-for-4 with a homer and a walk versus the Braves on Monday. Against the Braves on Monday, Andy Ibáez was 3-for-4 with a home run (3) and a walk in a 6-5 win for the Tigers. The big game comes in his first start in a week. He had a nice first 10 days for the Tigers, but he entered Monday tonight with a .180/.212/.320 line in 104 plate appearances. He's surely better than that, but he's also probably not someone who should be in the Tigers' plans for 2024 and beyond. Raisel Iglesias gave up three runs and five hits in the ninth to blow a save Monday against the Tigers. Yikes. It's the first time that Iglesias has allowed five hits in an appearance in seven seasons as a reliever. He had allowed a total of two hits over 11 1/3 innings in his previous 12 outings. His velocity was fine tonight, and he got six missed swings in 27 pitches. We'll write it off as a fluke. After the game he said to the press: "I feel like the command of the pitches was there. They came out aggressive, looking to make contact knowing that I'm a pitcher that throws a lot of strikes." Rangers' Adolis García: Swipes bag in loss. García went 1-for-5 with a walk, double and stolen base in Monday's 9-6 extra-innings loss to the Angels. García stole his sixth base in six tries over 64 games. He's not running as much this year as he did in 2022, when García attempted 31 thefts over 156 games. On Monday night, Aroldis Chapman looked amazing. Chapman struck out three in a perfect inning during Monday's 5-4 loss to the Reds. He has two saves and seven holds while allowing just one run over his last 6.2 innings with a 14:4 K:BB in that span. The southpaw continues to primarily serve as the setup man to Scott Barlow, though the Royals' overall struggles have limited save chances so far. Chapman has a 2.70 ERA, 1.29 WHIP and 41:15 K:BB over 23.1 innings. Royals recalled OF Dairon Blanco from Triple-A Omaha. Blanco gets the call to the majors ahead of Monday's series opener against the Reds. He got into five games last year for the Royals and has put up a stratospheric .347/.444/.451 triple-slash line with three homers and a staggering 47 stolen bases across 208 plate appearances in 49 games this season for Triple-A Omaha. The 30-year-old outfielder has the stolen base upside to make an impact in the league. Arozarena and Díaz: Combined for one hit Monday. Randy Arozarena and Yandi Díaz combined for a 1-for-6 game with two walks and two strikeouts on Monday. Arozarena had the only hit of the pair, his eighth double of the year, while Yandy did not record a hit. The two continue to play key roles at the top of the Rays' lineup as the team fights for the AL East title. Lourdes Gurriel Jr. was not in the Diamondbacks' starting lineup for Monday night's showdown against the Phillies. Diamondbacks' skipper Torey Lovullo told reporters that it was just a regular day of rest for the hard-hitting outfielder as they ease him back into action following a groin injury. Expect him to return to the lineup on Tuesday.

Major League Baseball (MLB) and other Cuban Players News for the 2023 season. A compendium from several sources Jun 11 Jorge Soler hit two homers, doubled and walked to lead the Marlins past the White Sox 6-5 on Sunday. Soler went 3-for-4 with two solo home runs and one double in Sunday's win over the White Sox. Soler homered for the Marlins' lone run in seven innings versus Lucas Giolito and then homered again in the eighth as soon as they replaced him. In the ninth, he worked a walk with two outs in front of Bryan De La Cruz, who delivered a two-run double to give the Marlins the lead. Soler is now tied for second in the majors with 19 homers, and the guy he's tied with (Aaron Judge) and the one player ahead of him (Pete Alonso) are both on the IL. Although both of Soler's homers came against right-handed pitchers, he has dominated lefties in 2023, slashing .333/.438/.889 with a massive .556 ISO. White Sox's Luis Robert: Smacks two-run home run. Robert went 2-for-4 with a two-run homer and a double in Sunday's 6-5 loss against the Marlins. Robert clubbed a two-run homer off Huascar Brazoban in the seventh inning that plated Clint Frazier and advanced the White Sox advantage to 5-1. Though Chicago would ultimately fall, Robert's outing marked his fourth multi-hit effort in his last seven games and pushed him into 11th in MLB with 15 long balls. After being held to less than 100 games in each of his first three seasons due in part to injuries, Robert has yet to see an extended absence in 2023 and has slashed .264/.318/.525 through 64 games. Rays' Yandy Díaz: Getting back on track. Díaz went 2-for-4 with two runs scored Sunday against the Rangers. Díaz was briefly sidelined with a hip injury and missed the majority of the Rays' series against the Twins as a result. He was able to return and start all three weekend games against the Rangers and went 3-for-12 with no extra-base hits. Díaz has just a .593 OPS across his last 10 games, though he is still in the midst of a breakout season with 12 home runs across 238 plate appearances. José Abreu went hitless Sunday after homering in two straight games. In Sunday's 5-0 loss to the Guardians, Abreu went 0-for-4 with two strikeouts.Abreu had gone 2-for-5 with a two-run home run and an additional RBI in Saturday's 6-4 win over Cleveland. It was Abreu's second straight game with a homerun, after he had hit one in each of his first 61 games. As a result of Saturday's performance, the veteran has also accumulated three consecutive multi-hit games, so there's reason to believe that his season is turning around.Overall, Abreu is slashing .220/.275/.298, so he has a long way to go before he finishes with a career-worst season. Yoán Moncada struck out all four times up as the White Sox's No. 2 hitter Sunday. Having Moncada play through back soreness is going about as well as anyone besides the White Sox would expect. He's hit .200/.272/.295 in 103 plate appearances since coming off the injured list last month. He's 5-for-35 with one RBI since the White Sox confirmed that he was still fighting pain on May 31. Astros' Yordan Álvarez: Facing longer than 10-day absence. Astros general manager Dana Brown said Sunday that a timeline for Álvarez's (oblique) return from the 10-day injured list is "still up in the air a little bit," Chandler Rome of The Athletic reported. "It will take a week at least to get a feel for how long it's going to be," Brown said, referring to the length of Álvarez's absence. Oblique injuries are notorious for carrying volatile recovery timelines, so it's no surprise that Brown already seems to be discounting the possibility of Álvarez returning from the IL when first eligible June 19. On a positive note, Álvarez's injury has been described as right oblique discomfort rather than a strain, though it's possible that his diagnosis could change if he's sent in for further tests in the coming days. While Álvarez is out, the red-hot Mauricio Dubón could gain traction in an everyday role in left field, which would leave Corey Julks and Chas McCormick to jockey for playing time at designated hitter. Diamondbacks' Lourdes Gurriel: Helps in comeback win. Gurriel went 0-for-5 with an RBI in Sunday's 7-5 win over Detroit. Gurriel's RBI-grounder in the eighth inning ignited the Diamondbacks' comeback from a 5-2 deficit. He's knocked in at least one run in six of the last seven games and leads the team with 39 RBI and a 1.051 OPS with runners on base. Yasmani Grandal: Resting Sunday. Grandal was out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Marlins. Grandal got a breather for the series finale. Marlins' Yuli Gurriel: Sitting Sunday. Gurriel was not in the starting lineup Sunday versus the White Sox. Gurriel took a seat for the second time in three days after he went 0-for-5 with an RBI and a run scored while striking out twice in Saturday's victory. Pirates' Johan Oviedo: Quality start not enough Saturday. Oviedo (3-5) took the loss Saturday, giving up two runs on four hits and two walks over 6.1 innings as the Pirates were downed 5-1 by the Mets. He struck out five. The right-hander tossed 90 pitches (55 strikes) en route to his second straight quality start and sixth of the season, but Pittsburgh's batters provided him with little support and managed only three hits on the night. Oviedo showed a little extra velocity today, averaging 97.2 mph with his fastball, and he allowed just four hits to the Mets. Oviedo hasn't allowed more than three runs in any of his last six outings, posting a 2.62 ERA, 1.22 WHIP and 30:19 K:BB through 34.1 innings over that stretch. The 25-year-old will look to keep rolling in his next start, likely to come on the road next week against the Cubs.

Major League Baseball (MLB) and other Cuban Players News for the 2023 season. A compendium from several sources Jun 8 Luis Robert Jr. went 3-for-5 with a solo homer and a stolen base, leading the White Sox to a 6-5 win over the Yankees in the opening contest of Thursday's doubleheader. Robert went 3-for-5 with a double, a solo home run, two total runs and a stolen base Thursday in Game 1 of a doubleheader against the Yankees. Robert hit one of three homers against Yankees starter Luis Severino, drilling a 424-foot solo shot in the third inning. The home run marked his 50th in the Major Leagues. He notched his third straight multi-hit performance in Game 1 of the twin bill, though that streak was snapped when he went 0-for-2 with a walk in the nightcap. Robert's homer was his 14th of the campaign, establish a new career-high mark. Astros manager Dusty Baker indicated to reporters late Thursday that Yordan Álvarez (oblique) is likely to wind up missing time due to a right oblique injury. Nothing official yet, but it certainly sounds like Álvarez could wind up requiring a trip to the injured list following an early exit from Thursday's series finale against the Blue Jays due to right oblique discomfort. He told reporters afterwards that he felt something on a swing in the batting cages before the game and was unable to continue after just one at-bat against Toronto. He'll presumably undergo some additional testing to determine the severity of the issue before Houston decides whether to send him to the injured list. Raisel Iglesias picks up second win. Iglesias allowed nothing, earning the win in Thursday's crazy 13-10 win over the Mets. Iglesias had no trouble protecting a tie game in the tenth inning with two strikeouts. He's been solid over the last seven games, allowing just one hit, with four walks, and five strikeouts over 6.1 innings. The closer is now at a 2.63 ERA, 1.02 WHIP and 14:6 K:BB with eight saves through 15 appearances. Royals OF prospect Dairon Blanco went 2-for-4 with three RBI and three stolen bases on Thursday for Triple-A Omaha. Blanco leads all Triple-A hitters with a staggering 42 stolen bases this season through just 46 games. The 30-year-old speedster got into five contests last year for the Royals and continues to run wild in the upper minors. There's enough stolen base upside that he'd be worthy of consideration for a roster spot in Kansas City at some point this summer. Yoán Moncada belted a solo homer in the first game of Thursday's doubleheader against the Yankees. Moncada led off the third inning with his first round-tripper since April 2. Seriously, we're not making this up. He went 1-for-8 in the double header and his BA is sitting now at .238 for the year. Yasmani Grandal was not in the White Sox' starting lineup for the first game of Thursday's doubleheader against the Yankees. He'll presumably be back in there behind the plate for the nightcap on Thursday. Seby Zavala will don the tools of intelligence in his place and will bat ninth for the White Sox against Luis Severino and the Yankees on Thursday afternoon in New York. Yankees placed LHP Néstor Cortés on the 15-day injured list, retroactive to June 5, with a left rotator cuff sprain. As anticipated, Cortés lands on the injured list and will be shelved for at least a few weeks. Yandy Díaz was absent from the Rays’ starting lineup for the second straight day on Thursday. Rays manager Kevin Cash told reporters on Thursday that Yandy Díaz is dealing with some minor left hip soreness. Díaz was held out of the Rays’ lineup for the second consecutive game on Thursday, though he was available off the bench. He’s tentatively expected to return to the lineup on Friday. Lourdes Gurriel Jr. was held out of the Diamondbacks' lineup once again on Thursday. It was the fourth consecutive game that the 29-year-old outfielder has missed due to a groin issue. Eventually, if he doesn't start to improve, the Diamondbacks are going to have to consider a trip to the injured list.

Major League Baseball (MLB) and other Cuban Players News for the 2023 season. A compendium from several sources Jun 8 Yandy Díaz is absent from the Rays’ starting lineup for the second straight day on Thursday. Rays manager Kevin Cash told reporters today that Yandy Díaz has been nursing a minor hip injury. Díaz was held out of the Rays’ lineup for the second consecutive game on Thursday, though he is expected to be available off the bench. He’s tentatively expected to return to the lineup on Friday. Lourdes Gurriel Jr. (groin) was held out of the Diamondbacks' lineup once again on Thursday. It's the fourth consecutive game that the 29-year-old outfielder has missed due to a groin issue. Eventually, if he doesn't start to improve, the Diamondbacks are going to have to consider a trip to the injured list. Evan Longoria will function as the Diamondbacks' designated hitter on Thursday afternoon and bat fifth against Josiah Gray and the Nationals. Jun 7 Randy Arozarena hit a walk-off homer in the ninth inning on Wednesday, propelling the Rays to a 2-1 win over the Twins. On the second pitch from Jhoan Duran, Arozarena went opposite field to right-center on a 98.3 mph splitter. It was his 12th homer of the season, but his first since May 22. In the 12 games between long balls, he hit only .195 with three runs scored and five RBI. He was 2-for-4 in the contest and it was nice to see some power after a .250/.397/.390 stretch over his last 30 games -- with just four homers. On the season, Arozarena has hit .290/.394/.498 with 12 homers and seven stolen bases in the heart of a good lineup. Miguel Vargas went 2-for-4 with a solo homer and two RBI on Wednesday in the Dodgers' loss to the Reds. Vargas went 2-for-4 with a double, a home run and two total RBI in a loss to the Reds on Wednesday. Vargas blasted a solo shot to center field in the second inning and added a run-scoring double in the third. The rookie extended his modest hitting streak to five games, during which he's slashing .429/.529/.857 with three extra-base hits, three RBI and a steal. Vargas didn't hit his first homer until his 25th game of the campaign, but he's perked up a bit since with six long balls across his past 33 contests. Yordan Álvarez went 1-for-4 with a two-run homer against the Blue Jays on Wednesday. Álvarez pulled a 73.2 mph Chris Bassitt slider 366 feet to right, just over the wall, to put the Astros up 2-0 in the fourth inning. He also was robbed of another RBI by a nice Kevin Kiermaier grab in center field in the ninth. Álvarez has tailed off a bit of late, hitting .180 in his last 15 games to drop to a .274/.386/.582 overall line. But this is still Yordan Álvarez -- he has five homers over that span too. Adolis García was not in the Rangers' lineup for Wednesday's game against the Cardinals. García has been simply magnificent this season, batting .273/.331/.515 with 48 runs scored, 15 homers, 52 RBI and four stolen bases across 254 plate appearances through 59 games. He took a seat on Wednesday evening with Robbie Grossman in right field in his place. Jorge Soler was absent from the Marlins' lineup for Wednesday's game against the Royals. Soler missed a pair of contests earlier this week due to right thumb soreness, so was not a complete shock to see him sitting out Wednesday's series finale against the Royals. The 31-year-old slugger, who has 17 homers and 36 RBI in 246 plate appearances this season, should be ready to roll for Friday's series opener against the White Sox in Chicago. José Barrero was on the bench Wednesday against the Dodgers. Barrero hasn't started in the infield since May 17, and his path to any playing time there seems gone now with Elly De La Cruz out. The Reds also prefer both Stuart Fairchild and Will Benson to him in the outfield right now. He seems destined to be optioned to Triple-A whenever any of the five Reds hitters currently on the IL gets activated. Yasmani Grandal was out again Wednesday. Grandal was out of the lineup Wednesday against the Yankees. Seby Zavala was catching and batting ninth after slugging two home runs and tallying three total RBI to help the White Sox win 3-2 over the Yankees on Tuesday. However, late Wednesday morning the Yankees-White Sox game was postponed due to “clearly hazardous air quality conditions,” and they will play a double header today. Will see if Grandal plays in any of the two games. Andy Ibáñez sat in second straight game. Ibáñez was out of the lineup for Wednesday's game in Philadelphia. Ibáñez was on the bench for the second game in a row, after he had previously manned the keystone for Detroit for three of the preceding four games. Zack Short got a second straight turn at second base while the Tigers continue to take a committee approach to the position while Zach McKinstry sees more time in right field to aid an injury-plagued Detroit outfield. Aledmys Díaz was on the bench for day game. Díaz was out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Pirates. After going 2-for-4 with a run in Oakland's 11-2 win Tuesday night, Díaz went to the bench as the Athletics conclude their series in Pittsburgh with a day game. Kevin Smith and Diaz could end up forming a timeshare at the position after incumbent starter Nick Allen was demoted to Triple-A Las Vegas on Tuesday. Adolis García took a seat Wednesday. García was out of the lineup for Wednesday's game versus the Cardinals. García received a well-earned day of rest after going 4-for-4 with a home run in Tuesday's 6-4 win. The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal said yesterday that the Royals have told teams they'd like to pair Aroldis Chapman with another veteran in trade talks in order to shed salary. It's not a must, according to Rosenthal, but it's something they're looking at. Rosenthal speculates on a Chapman-Scott Barlow pairing, which is odd since Barlow has positive trade value and will bring a decent return himself. If the Royals are truly looking to trim salary, the injured Brad Keller or Amir Garrett would make more sense to attach to Chapman.

Major League Baseball (MLB) and other Cuban Players News for the 2023 season. A compendium from several sources Jun 6 Adolis García went 4-for-4 and launched his 15th homer Tuesday as the Rangers topped the Cardinals 6-4. García also had a four-hit game last week, and he's raised his average from .244 to .273 during his current seven-game hitting streak. The only disappointing thing about his season is that he's just 4-for-4 stealing bases. He swiped 25 bags last year. Raisel Iglesias pitched a perfect ninth with a two-run lead for a save against the Mets on Tuesday. Iglesias struck out one in a perfect ninth inning Tuesday to record his eighth save of the season in a 6-4 win over the Mets. The right-hander hasn't allowed an earned run in 10 straight appearances, but Iglesias' 8:5 K:BB through 9.1 innings over that stretch highlights his lack of dominance since making his belated season debut in early May. His 2.84 ERA and 1.11 WHIP are solid, but he's lost two mph on his four-seam fastball over the last couple years, seeing it decline from 96.3 mph in 2021 to 94.3 mph in 2023. Yennier Cano took a blown save in the eighth after allowing a run in 1 1/3 innings Tuesday against the Brewers. Cano has been quite mortal of late, and those who grabbed him for ratio help in shallow leagues might want to move on. He's given up four runs on 14 hits and four walks in his last 10 2/3 innings. Prior to that, he allowed four hits and no walks over 21 2/3 scoreless innings. Yankees' left-hander Nestor Cortés received a cortisone injection in his ailing left shoulder on Tuesday and will be placed on the 10-day injured list prior to Wednesday's game. As anticipated, Cortés will head to the injured list with a left shoulder strain and miss his scheduled start against the White Sox on Wednesday. Randy Vásquez will be recalled to take the left-hander's spot in the Yankees' rotation on Wednesday. Cortés will be shut down from throwing for the next two weeks before being re-evaluated. Dodgers' Miguel Vargas: Swipes bag in loss. Vargas went 1-for-3 with a walk and a stolen base in Tuesday's loss to the Reds. Vargas walked and stole his third base of the year in the sixth and later notched a base hit in the eighth. The 23-year-old has recorded a hit in each of his first four games in June and also has a 3:3 BB:K over that span. Vargas has endured growing pains over the course of his first full MLB season but will continue to see the lion's share of starts at second base. He's slashing .228/.333/.413 with five homers, 26 RBI, 28 runs and a 28:43 BB:K over 216 plate appearances. Luis Robert and Yoán Moncada: Three hits against the Yankees. Luis Robert and Yoán Moncada went 3-for-8 combined in a 3-2 win against the Yankees on Tuesday night. Robert was 2-for-4 with a strikeout while Moncada was 1-for-4. Robert is slashing .260/.313/.507 with 13 home runs and 30 RBI this year while Moncada is having a completely different season, hitting .246/.301/.377 for the year with only 2 homers and 12 RBI. Jorge Soler has returned to the Marlins' lineup for Tuesday's contest against the Royals. Soler was back at designated hitter on Tuesday evening after missing two straight games due to right thumb soreness. The positive news here is that X-rays came back negative for a fracture after he suffered the injury last Saturday when he struck out on a foul tip that caught his thumb. It doesn't sound like a serious concern moving forward. In the game he went 0-for-3 with a walk. Marlins' Yuli Gurriel: Not started Tuesday. Gurriel wasn't in the Marlins' lineup Tuesday against the Royals. After breaking a brief three-game hitting streak Monday against the Royals, Gurriel got a not needed breather Tuesday. Garrett Cooper played at first base and hit fourth. Reds' José Barrero: Out of lineup again Tuesday. Barrero was not in the starting lineup versus the Dodgers on Tuesday. Barrero is opening the game on the bench for the third straight game. With a slash line of .224/.305/.336 and 2 home runs and 17 RBI, the 25-year-old has a terrible season and has even been moved from shortstop to center field. Lourdes Gurriel Jr. was held out of the Diamondbacks' lineup for the second straight night on Tuesday due to tightness in his groin. We had a feeling there had to be something going on with Gurriel Jr. missing two straight contests, and there's your answer. The good news, is that he's expected to be available off the bench on Tuesday night and tentatively expected to return to the Diamondbacks' starting lineup on Wednesday. For the season, the 29-year-old is slashing .310/.359/.550 with nine homers, 35 RBI and one stolen base in 217 plate appearances for the D'Backs. Padres activated LHP Adrian Morejón from the 60-day injured list and optioned him to Triple-A El Paso. The clock on the left-hander's minor league rehab assignment was running out and the Padres didn't feel like he was quite ready to return to the big league roster, so he'll continue to build back up at Triple-A. Morejón had been sidelined since spring training due to a left elbow sprain.

Major League Baseball (MLB) and other Cuban Players News for the 2023 season. A compendium from several sources Jun 5 Yordan Álvarez blasts a homer in rout. Álvarez went 2-for-4 with a home run, a strikeout, two runs scored and two RBI in a 11-4 win against the Blue Jays on Monday. Álvarez smacked a 452-foot solo shot in the four inning for his homer number 16 of the season. He's up to 53 RBI, most in the majors. Those marks put Álvarez on pace to easily exceed his career-best marks of 37 long balls and 104 RBI. Johan Oviedo allowed three runs -- two earned -- in seven innings Monday against the A's. Oviedo allowed three runs (two earned) on four hits and two walks over seven innings in Monday's win over the Athletics. He struck out five and did not factor in the decision, Oviedo gave up three runs through three innings before settling in for a quality start. He turned in his longest outing since April and has allowed three or fewer runs in five straight starts. He's registered a 2.57 ERA during that span, dropping his season number down to 4.29 through 65 frames. Oviedo is currently projected to face the Mets at home this weekend. Yandy Díaz went 2-for-4 with a walk and a run scored on Monday afternoon, leading the Rays to a 4-1 victory over the Red Sox. Díaz continues to be an on-base machine atop the Rays' lineup, causing constant pressure for opposing pitchers. He drew a one-out walk in the seventh inning of this one, then came in to score the Rays' final run in the game when Taylor Walls worked a bases-loaded walk. The 31-year-old is slashing a tremendous .316/.409/.570 to go along with 12 homers and 34 RBI through 51 games on the year. Yuli Gurriel emerging as primary first baseman for the Marlins. Gurriel started at first base and hit fifth in Monday's game against the Royals. After producing six hits in the Marlins' weekend series with the Athletics, Gurriel was rewarded Monday with his 13th consecutive start. Though Garrett Cooper was in the lineup as Miami's designated hitter in place of a resting Jorge Soler, Gurriel appears to have overtaken the slumping Cooper as Miami's primary first baseman. However, in the game Gurriel went 0-for-4 with a run scored lowering his BA to .283 for the season. Jorge Soler is absent from the Marlins' lineup for Monday's game against the Royals due to right thumb soreness. There we go. Soler apparently suffered the injury during Sunday's series finale against the Athletics when he came off the bench as a pinch-hitter. He'll take a seat for Monday's series opener against the Royals, but appears unlikely to wind up requiring a trip to the injured list. The 31-year-old slugger has clobbered 17 round-trippers in 58 games to open the 2023 campaign. Randy Arozarena was not in the Rays' lineup for Monday's series finale against the Red Sox. It was a rare day off for Arozarena, who started both games of Saturday's twin bill in addition to Sunday's contest at Fenway Park over the weekend. He got a breather on Monday night with Josh Lowe and Luke Raley in the corner outfield spots for Tampa Bay. Athletics' Aledmys Díaz: Hits bench amid skid. Díaz was out of the lineup for Monday's game in Pittsburgh. Díaz had started in five of the past six games, going hitless in 16 at-bats over that stretch to drop his season-long batting average down to .179. Though he's one of the highest-paid players on the Athletics roster in the first season of a two-year, $14.5 million deal, Díaz may nonetheless find himself on the bench more frequently in the near future given his wretched start to his tenure in Oakland.

Major League Baseball (MLB) and other Cuban Players News for the 2023 season. A compendium from several sources Jun 4 Marlins' Yuli Gurriel: Homer shy of cycle. Gurriel went 3-for-4 with a double, a triple, an RBI and a run scored in Sunday's 7-5 victory over the Athletics. Gurriel's leadoff triple in the fourth inning was his third three-bagger this year, setting a new career high in his age-39 season. He's gone 6-for-13 in his last three games following an 0-for-13 slump. Gurriel's now slashing .291/.350/.440 with three homers, 15 runs scored, 13 RBI and three stolen bases through 157 at-bats in his first season with Miami. Raisel Iglesias slammed the door on the Diamondbacks on Sunday, working a scoreless ninth inning to earn his seventh save of the season. Iglesias was unexpectedly thrust into action after Eddie Rosario blasted a go-ahead grand slam with two outs in the top half of the ninth inning. Iglesias then came on and issued a leadoff walk to Ketel Marte, but got Corbin Carroll to ground into a double play before getting Christian Walker on a bouncer to third base to end the game. On the season, the 33-year-old hurler now holds a 3.09 ERA, 1.20 WHIP and an 11/6 K/BB ratio across his first 11 2/3 innings. Yandy Díaz with two hits on Sunday against the Red Sox. Díaz went 2-for-5 with a run scored, an RBI, and two strikeouts Sunday against the Red Sox. Díaz occupied his customary spot atop the Rays' lineup and collected a RBI single in the sixth inning. Prior to this weekend, Díaz had been in a moderate slump, as he had gone just 5-for-25 across his last six games. That hasn't spoiled his breakout season, as he's only two home runs away from matching his career-best mark in a single season. The Cuban infielder is slashing an excellent .312/.405/.571 with 12 homers, 34 RBI and an marvelous 6.88 K%. Aroldis Chapman returned to the mound Sunday and pitched a perfect inning for a hold. Chapman recorded his seventh hold of the year as he returned to the mound. He struck out two of the three batters he faced and threw only 10 pitches, eight of which were strikes. Due to a sore knee, Chapman was unavailable for a couple of days. He has two saves in 23 games with a 2.95 ERA and 35 strikeouts in 21.1 innings as a setup man for closer Scott Barlow. Adolis García leads MLB in RBIs despite injury scare During Sunday's series finale at Globe Life Field, Texas Rangers right fielder Adolis García appeared to tweak his right knee in the second inning. Before returning to the game, García stretched and jogged a little and seems fine after the incident chasing a ball. When the club's home run and RBI leader looked normal, the entire Texas organization breathed a sigh of relief. This season, García has missed only two games. In the third inning García returned to right field. In the bottom of the inning, he doubled (#10) to straight-away center, scoring Nathaniel Lowe. García went 2-for-5 in the game with his RBI#51 of the year, leading all MLB together with his compatriot Yordan Álvarez. Aledmis Díaz was hitless against the Marlins on Sunday. Díaz has been struggling this season and is having trouble holding down a regular spot in the A's lineup.In a 7-5 loss to the Marlins, he went 0-for-4 with two strikeouts. Díaz may be released by Oakland in a near future, after slashing .179/.234/.231 with a homer and eight RBI in 41 games and 145 PA. Yankees manager Aaron Boone told reporters on Sunday that Nestor Cortes will likely head to the injured list with a shoulder injury. Cortes has been having trouble with his recovery in-between starts, so the Yankees are having him undergo an MRI exam on Monday to see exactly what's going on there. The club is hopeful that he'll only have to miss one or two starts -- but that remains to be seen. It's unclear how the Yankees plan to fill his spot in the rotation for the time being. Jorge Soler was not in the Marlins' starting lineup for Sunday's contest against the A's. It was a regular day off for the 31-year-old slugger. However, he had one AB, as a pinch hitter, and went 0-for-1 with a strikeout. Soler should return to the Marlins' lineup when they face the Royals at home on Monday. Padres' Adrian Morejón is expected to be out until June 8 He joined Low-A Lake Elsinore for a rehab assignment two weeks ago and is expected to keep working his way back to the Padres bullpen. Diamondbacks' Lourdes Gurriel: Not in Sunday's lineup. Gurriel was removed from the lineup for Sunday's game against Atlanta, Theo Mackie of The Arizona Republic reported. The 29-year-old was initially slated to serve as the designated hitter Sunday, but he was instead a late scratch with Christian Walker cleared to return after sitting out Saturday with food poisoning. Gurriel started the previous nine games and figures to be back in the lineup Tuesday in Washington. José Abreu was not in the Astros' starting lineup Sunday versus the Angels. It was also a scheduled day off for the veteran first baseman. Abreu has disappointed fans this season, who were hoping for a bounce-back season. The 36-year-old is hitting an atrocious .213/.273/.264 with one homer and 23 RBI across 238 plate appearances. Yoán Moncada was not in the White Sox lineup for Sunday's showdown against the Tigers. Moncada started Sunday's game on the bench as Elvis Andrus filled in a third base against lefty Matthew Boyd. Moncada started the previous five games but will head to the bench after going 1-for-17 with two walks and eight strikeouts during that stretch. Since being activated from the injured list on May 12, the 28-year-old is hitting a dreadful .211/.282/.282 with zero homers and seven RBI and could see more time on the bench if he continues to underperform. Reds' José Barrero: Out of lineup again Sunday. Barrero was not in the starting lineup versus the Brewers on Sunday. Barrero opened the game on the bench for the third straight game. The25-year-old took a seat again with Will Benson getting the start in center and hitting eighth against Adrian Houser and the Reds.