Major League Baseball (MLB) and other Cuban Players News for the 2023 season. A compendium from several sources May 15 Lourdes Gurriel Jr. belted a two-run homer on Monday, leading the Diamondbacks to a 5-2 victory over the Athletics. Gurriel went 1-for-3 with a walk and a two-run home run in Monday's 5-2 win over the Athletics. Gurriel Jr. extended Arizona's early lead with a two-run blast off righty Drew Rucinski in the third inning. It was his sixth long ball of the season and wound up supplying enough offense for the Diamondbacks to notch another win. He also drew a pair of walks in the contest. The 29-year-old slugger is slashing a robust .309/.371/.537 with 24 runs scored, six homers, 23 RBI and one stolen base across 151 plate appearances in his Arizona debut. José Abreu doubled and drove in a pair of runs on Monday night as the Astros beat the Cubs 6-4 in Houston. Vargas provided the first Astros' runs in the first inning with his seventh double of the year. He then singled and walked. Overall he went 2-for-3 with a run scored and a strikeout. On the season, he's now slashing .223/.274/.268 with no homers and 16 RBI. Astros fans are expecting him to perform better in the second half of the season. Yandy Díaz is day-to-day with left groin tightness. Díaz underwent an MRI following his early exit from Sunday's series finale against the Yankees that didn't reveal anything serious. The 31-year-old on-base machine's long-awaited over-the-fence power breakthrough has finally materialized this season as he's gone deep 10 times already through just 39 games. Diaz has a robust 1.022 OPS for Tampa Bay this season. He should be ready to return to Tampa Bay's lineup in a few days, if not sooner. Astros' Yordan Álvarez: One hit on Monday. Álvarez went 1-for-2 in a 6-4 victory against the Cubs on Monday night. Álvarez also scored a run a drew two walks. He is now slashing .291/.397/.567 with 9 homers and 37 RBI. Rangers' Adolis García: Hitless on Monday. Adolis went 0-for-3 on Monday night in an upsetting 12-0 loss to the Braves at Arlington. The Cuban outfielder struckout twice and was replaced late in the game by Bubba Thompson in right field. the 30-year-old is having a phenomenal season leading MLB in RBI (42) and slashing .250/.312/.487 with 10 homers and 3 stolen bases. Athletics' Aledmys Díaz: Sitting against Arizona. Díaz was out of the starting lineup against the Diamondbacks on Monday. Díaz was just activated off the injured list Sunday and logged two hits in his return from his hamstring injury, but he got a day off Monday against Merrill Kelly and the D-Backs.

Major League Baseball (MLB) and other Cuban Players News for the 2023 season. A compendium from several sources May 14 Rangers' Adolis García: Caps scoring with grand slam. García went 3-for-5 with a home run, a double, five RBI and two runs scored in Sunday's 11-3 win over the Athletics. García hit an RBI single in the third inning and contributed to an eight-run eighth inning with a grand slam. Over six games since his last homer, García had gone 3-for-21 with just one RBI, so this was a good return to form. The outfielder is up to 10 long balls, 42 RBI, 30 runs scored, three stolen bases and six doubles while slashing .255/.318/.497 through 39 contests. Miguel Vargas doubled and drove in a pair of runs on Sunday afternoon as the Dodgers shut out the Padres in Los Angeles. Vargas provided some insurance in this one with his two-out, two-run double off of Brent Honeywell in the sixth inning -- extending the Dodgers' advantage to 4-0. The 23-year-old also drew a walk in the contest, finishing the afternoon 1-for-2 officially. On the season, he's now slashing .218/.333/.419 to go along with four homers, 21 RBI and a pair of stolen bases. Lourdes Gurriel Jr. doubled in Christian Walker in the bottom of the ninth Sunday to give the Diamondbacks a 2-1 win over the Giants. Tyler Rogers pitched a scoreless eighth in a tie game for the Giants, but sticking with him in the ninth didn't work out, as he walked Walker to lead off the inning and then immediately surrendered the game-ender. Gurriel has excelled for the Diamondbacks, hitting .308/.363/.519 with five homers in 146 plate appearances. Raisel Iglesias took his first blown save and loss Sunday after giving up two runs in the ninth inning against the Blue Jays. This one was discouraging. When Iglesias made his season debut last week after his shoulder issue, his velocity was basically right where it was last season. Today, though, he was down about two mph from there, even though he hadn't pitched in a few days. If he's not better next time out, it will be time to get really worried. Yandy Díaz will undergo an MRI exam on his injured groin today. The 31-year-old slugger noted that he's dealing with pain in his left groin -- and that it had already been bothering him for a few days, but he aggravated it further when he slipped at third base during Sunday's victory over the Yankees. They'll know more about the severity of the injury after Monday's exam, but the fact that the Rays are even getting the imaging done shows their level of concern. Fantasy managers in weekly formats should have an alternative option available in the event that Díaz winds up on the injured list. White Sox's Luis Robert: Homers in third straight Sunday. Robert went 2-for-4 with a solo home run, a double and two runs scored in Sunday's 4-3 loss to the Astros. Robert had himself a series against the Astros over the weekend. He finished 6-for-11 and capped things off with a solo home run in the fourth and a double in the sixth. He's went long in three straight now and is slashing .422/.509/.933 with six homers, 14 RBI, 15 runs and a 5:11 BB:K over 13 games in May. Tigers' Andy Ibáñez: Starting at third again Sunday. Ibáñez is starting at third base and batting sixth in Sunday's game against the Mariners. Ibáñez will be making his fifth straight start at the hot corner as he's become the primary option there ahead of the struggling Nick Maton. Ibáñez has done well at the plate with a .293 batting average and a home run across 14 games. The 30-year-old has yet to have sustained success at the MLB level, though it looks like he's getting a chance in Detroit to show what he can do. Athletics' Aledmys Díaz: Logs two hits in return. Diaz (hamstring) went 2-for-4 in Sunday's 11-3 loss to the Rangers. Díaz missed just over two weeks with a hamstring strain. The first five hitters in the Athletics' lineup went a combined 0-for-19 on Sunday, but Díaz provided some solid batting from the No. 7 spot in the order. The versatile 32-year-old is slashing a meager .169/.237/.225 with one home run, six RBI, seven runs scored, a stolen base and two doubles through 97 plate appearances. Despite his lackluster numbers, he should be able to find fairly steady playing time. Marlins' Yuli Gurriel: Returns to bench with Cooper back. Gurriel is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Reds, Christina De Nicola of MLB.com reports. Gurriel had started 10 of the Marlins' last 11 games at first base, slashing just .175/.227/.300 with a home run, three RBI and two runs over that stretch. He'll likely see his playing time take a significant hit moving forward after the Marlins reinstated Garrett Cooper (ear) from the 10-day injured list Sunday and reinstalled him as their everyday first baseman. Reds' José Barrero: Expected to fade into bench role. Barrero is expected to cede the Reds' everyday shortstop duties to Matt McLain, who will be called up from Triple-A Louisville ahead of Monday's game against the Rockies, C. Trent Rosecrans of The Athletic reports. Even while McLain had been in the minors, Barrero was already beginning to lose traction as the Reds' clear-cut top shortstop, as both he and Kevin Newman had made three starts apiece at the position over the past six games. Neither Barrero nor Newman have impressed defensively at shortstop this season, and while McLain isn't regarded as a polished defender at the position either and probably profiles as a second baseman over the long haul, the Reds are hoping the toolsy 23-year-old can provide an offensive upgrade over Barrero (.618 OPS in 104 plate appearances) and Newman (.596 OPS in 99 plate appearances). Newman is likely to remain a utility infielder once McLain's call-up is official, and though Barrero has a minor-league option remaining, the Reds may prefer to keep him on hand as insurance in center field while TJ Friedl is day-to-day with an oblique injury.

Major League Baseball (MLB) and other Cuban Players News for the 2023 season. A compendium from several sources May 12 Rays' Randy Arozarena: Clubs 10th homer. Arozarena went 2-for-4 with a walk and a solo home run in Friday's 6-5 loss to the Yankees. He got the Rays on the board in the first inning by crushing a Gerrit Cole offering into the second deck in left field at Yankee Stadium. Arozarena has surprisingly been a disappointment on the basepaths so far, stealing three bags on seven attempts and going 20 games and counting without a successful pilfer, but there's little else to complain about with his 2023 performance. The 28-year-old is slashing .317/.400/.577 with 10 homers, 26 runs and 31 RBI through 38 contests. Astros' Yordan Álvarez: Smacks ninth homer. Álvarez went 1-for-4 with a solo home run and a walk Friday against the White Sox. Álvarez added an insurance run with his ninth-inning homer, his ninth long ball of the season. He's shown plenty of power of late, going deep in back-to-back games and five times in his last 15 starts. Unsurprisingly, he has an impressive .408 wOBA and 164 wRC+ to go along with 35 RBI across 32 games this season. Johan Oviedo pitched five innings of one-run ball Friday versus the Orioles. Oviedo did not factor into the decision Friday, allowing one run on four hits and five walks over five innings in a 6-3 loss to the Orioles. He struck out three. Oviedo struggled with his command Friday and walked a season-high five batters, but things could've gone much worse, as the right-hander limited the damage and was charged with just one earned run. Despite the free passes, it was a nice bounce-back outing for Oviedo, who had given up 17 runs over his past three appearances. He's 2-3 with a 5.14 ERA on the whole. He'll look to build off his solid start next time out, which is tentatively scheduled for a three-game weekend set versus Arizona. Rays' Yandy Díaz: Eleven-game hitting streak. Díaz went 1-for-4 with a walk and an strikeout on Friday against the Yankees. The single extended his hitting streak to eleven games, during which he's hit .302 with two home runs, four RBI and seven runs scored. Díaz has had a great start to the season, highlighted by a .252 ISO and .423 wOBA across 162 plate appearances. Astros' Jose Abreu: One hit against former team. Abreu went 1-for-5 in Friday's game against the White Sox. Abreu returned to Guaranteed Rate Field to face his former team Friday. He tallied a two-out single in the seventh inning but otherwise had an unremarkable performance. Abreu has one hit in three of his last four games -- including two doubles -- but he still has a disastrous .234 wOBA and 45 wRC+ across 156 plate appearances on the season. Adolis García was not in the Rangers' lineup for Friday's game against the Athletics. It was a rare day off for García, who has started every game for the Rangers since April 17. The 30-year-old slugger is batting .245/.313/.475 with 28 runs scored, nine homers, 36 RBI and three stolen bases across 160 plate appearances in 36 games. Yasmani Grandal (hamstring) was not in the White Sox' lineup for Friday's game against the Astros. It was Seby Zavala behind the plate for Chicago on Friday night with Grandal getting some extra time off the rest and recover after making an early exit from Thursday's game against the Royals due to right hamstring tightness. White Sox manager Pedro Grifol wouldn't rule out the possibility that Grandal winds up landing on the injured list, but it sounds like they're going to wait at least another day before making that decision. Aledmys Díaz (hamstring) might return for Sunday's series finale against the Rangers. Díaz, who has been out with a left hamstring strain, made it through some on-field running earlier this week without any issues, and is expected to skip a minor league rehab assignment. It sounds like he could be back later this weekend. White Sox activated 3B Yoán Moncada from the 10-day injured list. Moncada rejoined the White Sox for Friday's contest against the Astros following a one-month absence due to a lingering lower back issue. he went 0-for-4 with one strikeout. The 27-year-old third baseman batted .308 (12-for-39) with two homers and five RBI across nine games for Triple-A Charlotte on his minor league rehab assignment.

Major League Baseball (MLB) and other Cuban Players News for the 2023 season. A compendium from several sources May 10 Raisel Iglesias gave up two runs in two-thirds of an inning Wednesday against the Red Sox. Iglesias came in with the Braves down 3-2 in the ninth and lessened the chances of a comeback by giving up a double and a homer right away. It's his first misstep in three appearances since coming off the IL, and he still figures to get the team's next save chance. Yennier Cano fired a scoreless ninth inning on Wednesday against the Rays to collect his third save of the season. Cano picked up his third save of the season in a win over the Rays on Wednesday after pitching a 1-2-3 ninth inning. He struck out one in the outing. Cano was called upon to close out the game with Felix Bautista seemingly unavailable to pitch after he threw 29 pitches Tuesday. The 29-year-old sent the Rays down in order on just eight pitches and has yet to give up a run in 14 appearances. He now sits at a 0.00 ERA, 0.16 WHIP and 22:0 K:BB over 18.2 innings. According to OptaSTATS, Cano's 0.16 WHIP is the lowest by any MLB pitcher over any span of 14 appearances in the modern era with a minimum of 50 outs recorded. Tigers' Andy Ibáñez: Two hits in win. Ibáñez went 2-for-4 with a double, an RBI and one run scored in Wednesday's 5-0 victory over Cleveland. Ibáñez, making his fourth consecutive start, extended Detroit's lead to 2-0 with a two-out RBI double in the first inning. The 30-year-old infielder added a second hit in the third before coming around to score on Akil Baddoo's double. After going 0-for-10 in his first four games, Ibáñez has gone 11-for-25 with four doubles, a home run and zero strikeouts in his last eight contests. He's now slashing .314/.333/.514 with four RBI and six runs scored through 36 plate appearances since being called up April 29. Astros' Yordan  Álvarez: Smacks eighth homer of year. Álvarez went 1-for-4 with a solo homer in Wednesday's 5-4 win over Los Angeles. Álvarez's 417-foot long ball to center gave Houston a 1-0 lead in the first inning. The power hitter is now tied for second in the league with 34 RBI, and he now has hits in eight of his last nine games. The 25-year-old's current batting average (.283) is significantly below his mark from last season (.306), but Álvarez still has plenty of time to get hot and boost that number close to .300. He is definitely in pace for a 40+ homer season. Dodgers' Miguel Vargas: Goes yard in second straight. Vargas went 1-for-5 with a two-run home run in Wednesday's 8-1 win over the Brewers. He took Wade Miley deep in the sixth inning to help chase the veteran southpaw from the game. Vargas has had a slow start to 2023 due to the broken finger he suffered in spring training, but he appears to be getting comfortable at the plate -- the 23-year-old has homered in back-to-back games, with three of his four long balls on the year coming in the last eight contests. Marlins' Yuli Gurriel: Benched on Wednesday. Gurriel was out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Diamondbacks. Gurriel has been filling in as the primary first baseman while Garrett Cooper (ear) has been on the shelf, but the 38-year-old got a breather for the series finale in Arizona while Luis Arraez spells him. While starting each of the Marlins' past eight games, Gurriel went 6-for-33 (.182 average) with a home run, two doubles, two runs and two RBI. Luis Robert Jr. went 0-for-4 with four strikeouts on Wednesday in the White sox' blowout loss at the hands of the Royals. Not great. Robert Jr. struck out in all three of his plate appearances in the lopsided affair and is now batting .254/.322/.493 with 24 runs scored, eight homers, 21 RBI and one stolen base across 153 plate appearances. Reds' José Barrero: Day off Thursday. Barrero is not in the starting lineup Thursday versus the Mets. Barrero will take a seat after he went 0-for-3 in Wednesday's contest, dropping his season-long batting average to .218. Kevin Newman will take over at shortstop and bat eighth in the series finale with New York. Yoán Moncada (back) walked twice on Wednesday in a minor league rehab game for Triple-A Charlotte. It's a bit unclear when Moncada will be summoned back to Chicago, but he's continued to play in minor league rehab games this week. It sounds like he'll return sometime later this week, but there's nothing definitive yet from the White Sox on that front. José Abreu was on the bench Wednesday for the first time this season. A day off for Abreu was overdue, though the Astros don't have a true backup first baseman on the roster. Michael Brantley might eventually be the solution there, though it's unclear when he'll return. Backup catcher Yainer Díaz, who did play some first base in the minors, made his major league debut at the position yesterday. Randy Arozarena was not in the Rays' lineup for Wednesday's showdown against the Orioles. The Rays don't have a ton of off days this month, so Arozarena got a breather on Wednesday night in Baltimore. He came in late in the game as a PH and went 0-for-1.

Major League Baseball (MLB) and other Cuban Players News for the 2023 season. A compendium from several sources May 9 Jorge Soler clobbered two homers and collected five RBI on Tuesday, powering the Marlins to a 6-2 victory over the Diamondbacks. Soler went 2-for-4 with two home runs and five RBI in Tuesday's 6-2 win over the Diamondbacks. Soler put the offense on his back, taking Brandon Pfaadt deep for a mammoth three-run blast in the second inning and a two-run shot in the fifth. Over his last six games, Soler has gone 9-for-24 (.375) with four homers and 10 RBI. He's up to nine long balls, 20 RBI, 16 runs scored and nine doubles while slashing .234/.310/.516 through 35 contests this season. White Sox's Luis Robert: Stays hot in May. Robert went 1-for-4 with a homer in Tuesday's victory over the Royals. Robert produced the White Sox first hit and run with a solo shot in the fourth inning. The outfielder is scoring in hot in May with a .462 batting average. Robert lacked some pop last season, with a .426 slugging percentage, but has bounced back in 2023 with eight homers in 36 games. No runs were allowed by Yennier Cano after his sixth hold. After going 1.2 innings with one hit and two strikeouts, Yennier Cano earned his sixth hold of the season in a 4-2 win against the Rays on Tuesday. After 13 outings, 17.2 innings with 21 strikeouts, 2 saves, and a tiny 0.17 WHIP as a middle reliever for the talented Orioles of the AL East, Cano remains one of the most unexpected surprises of the Majors this year. Miguel Vargas hit a 414-foot homer and walked Tuesday against the Brewers. Vargas went 1-for-4 with a homer and two RBI in Tuesday's 6-2 victory over the Brewers. Vargas teed off in the sixth inning and pushed the Dodgers' lead to 6-0. The second baseman lacked power in April, as he slugged .325 in the month. But May has been better, where Vargas has two home runs and six extra-base hits in 29 at bats. Even though he's been fairly unlucky, according to Statcast, Vargas has thus far managed an acceptable .220/.344/.413 line. He should keep getting better. Yoán Moncada (back) went 3-for-3 with a solo homer on Tuesday in a minor league rehab game for Triple-A Charlotte. Moncada certainly looks like he's ready to return to the White Sox' lineup later this week after going 6-for-6 with two homers in his last two rehab games. The 27-year-old infielder has been out since early April due to lower back soreness but manager Pedro Grifol said yesterday that Moncada will probably return on Friday. White Sox's Yasmani Grandal: Playing through back spasm. Grandal is still working through a minor back spasm during his regular game time. Fortunately for Grandal, the White Sox have a regular spot available at DH, so the 34-year-old isn't expected to miss out on any starts on account of the back issue. On Tuesday he went 0-for-4 with two strikeouts in a 4-2 win against the Royals. A source told The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal that the Royals have already been fielding calls about Aroldis Chapman. Chapman looked outstanding in April, though a little less so lately, and even with his baggage, there are going to be a bunch of contenders interested in him if he keeps throwing like this. The Royals might be better off moving him soon rather than waiting around and seeing if he gets hurt or loses some of the velocity he's regained this season.

Major League Baseball (MLB) and other Cuban Players News for the 2023 season. A compendium from several sources May 8 Néstor Cortés, who had his start pushed back due to strep throat, allowed two runs over five-plus innings as the Yankees defeated the A's 7-2 on Monday. Cortés pitched five scoreless innings before loading the bases with no outs and getting pulled in the sixth. Ron Marinaccio came in and was able to strand one of the three runners, but that tied the game at 2-2, costing Cortés the victory. The Yankees didn't break it open until afterwards, scoring three runs in the bottom of the sixth and two more in the seventh. Overall, Cortés yielded two runs on six hits and two walks over five-plus innings. He struck out four. Cortés looked strong through five shutout frames, allowing four hits and a walk and never facing too much of a threat. He took the mound in the sixth and put three straight A's on base and was charged with two runs after leaving the game. Cortes has looked shaky recently; over his last four starts, he's registered a 6.53 ERA, raising his season mark to 4.74. His next outing is projected to be a home matchup against the Rays. Andy Ibáñez went 2-for-3 with a homer, a walk and three runs scored as the Tigers topped the Guardians 6-2 on Monday. Ibáñez has started eight of the Tigers' last nine games, which has left Jonathan Schoop with less playing time. His exit velocity numbers are quite a bit better than usual, so maybe he'll stick in Detroit. Ibáñez, seeing more regular playing time lately, has responded with a .333 batting average and now his first home run of the season. The 30-year-old has been playing all over the diamond, with his Monday start coming at second base. Ibáñez may not have a regular position quite yet, but he's carving out a role with the Tigers. Lourdes Gurriel Jr. was not in the Diamondbacks' lineup Monday because he was receiving his U.S. citizenship. Gurriel Jr. obtained his U.S citizenship Monday and was excused from pregame activities. Gurriel Jr. arrived at the ballpark just prior to first pitch and was available off the bench for Monday's series opener against the Marlins. Late in the 5-2 win against the Marlins he saw action as a PH getting on base with a walk. The 29-year-old slugger launched two homers on Sunday in Arizona's loss to the Nationals and is up to five round-trippers and 19 RBI in 124 plate appearances this season. Miguel Vargas was not in the Dodgers' lineup for Monday's series opener against the Brewers. It was a rare day off for Vargas on Monday evening. After closing the Dodgers' weekend series in San Diego with an 0-for-8 showing at the dish over the final two games, Vargas got a chance to rest Monday. Mookie Betts will move from the outfield to cover second base while Vargas hits the bench for the first time since April 27. Athletics' Aledmys Díaz: Expected to be back today. Díaz was placed on the 10-day injured list Tuesday last week with hamstring issues. Even when Díaz' hamstring strain is believed to be of the Grade 1 variety, the Athletics will make a decision to see if Diaz remains sidelined.

Major League Baseball (MLB) and other Cuban Players News for the 2023 season. A compendium from several sources May 6 Lourdes Gurriel Jr. went 4-for-5 and hit a game-tying homer in the bottom of the ninth as the Diamondbacks edged the Nationals 8-7 on Saturday. The wild finish saw the Diamondbacks take a 3-2 lead in the seventh, increase it to 6-2 in the eighth, fall behind 7-6 in the top of the ninth and then win the game in the bottom of the ninth after Gurriel's controversial homer and, later, a bases-loaded walk. The homer was controversial because a fan clearly reached over the fence in left to grab it while Stone Garrett was attempting a jumping catch. Still, fan interference was not called live or on review. Gurriel has been a nice addition for a surprising Arizona squad, posting a .300/.345/.464 slash line along with three homers, 15 RBI, 17 runs and a stolen base through 119 plate appearances. Raisel Iglesias pitched a perfect ninth with a one-run lead for a save against the Orioles in his 2023 debut Saturday. Working at 93-96 mph, Iglesias showed his usual stuff tonight after missing the first five weeks with shoulder inflammation. There's no guarantee that he won't deal with a reoccurrence at some point, but judging by the way he looked tonight, it's all systems go for now. Luis Robert Jr. went 2-for-2 Saturday in a 5-3 loss to the Reds on Saturday. Robert Jr. was hit twice by Reds starter Nick Lodolo but connected with a single and double in a tough 5-3 loss on Saturday. The 25-year-old is hitting .248/.309/.480 with seven homers and, shockingly, just one stolen base in 33 games played. Johan Oviedo was lit up for seven runs (six earned) in five innings by the Blue Jays on Saturday. Oviedo was a feel-good story at the beginning of the season, but it has quickly turned into a nightmare. He allowed 13 hard-hit balls, ten hits, and six earned runs while striking out just three Blue Jays in a loss on Saturday. He generated eight whiffs on 89 pitches with a dreadful 27 percent CSW. He'll carry a 5.59 ERA, 1.62 WHIP, and 30/12 K/BB ratio across 32 innings (six starts) into a scary road matchup on Friday against the Orioles. Yordan Álvarez and José Abreu: Combined for one hit Saturday. Yordan Álvarez and José Abreu combined for just one hit and one RBI in Saturday's 7-5 loss to the Mariners. Yordan went 1-for-3 with a double, RBI #31 and a walk, while Abreu went 0-for-2 with a walk and two strikeouts. Abreu is having a strange season, as he has no homers and only four extra bases this year while Álvarez continues to show off his power. Abreu has a poor slash line of .223/.273/.254 with 13 RBI this season, while Álvarez has a slash line of .265/.381/.541 with 7 homers and 31 RBI. Jorge Soler went 2-for-3 with a solo homer on Saturday in the Marlins' loss to the Cubs. Soler got Miami out to an early lead with a third-inning homer -- his seventh long ball of the season -- off lefty Drew Smyly and wound up reaching base safely in three of his four plate appearances in the low-scoring affair.

Major League Baseball (MLB) and other Cuban Players News for the 2023 season. A compendium from several sources May 5 Aroldis Chapman took a loss and a blown save after giving up two runs in one-third of an inning Thursday against the Orioles. Chapman walked three of the five batters he faced and also allowed four steals in his first real poor showing of the year. Chapman struggled with control on the mound for the Royals Thursday, walking three while also allowing two runs on one hit, blowing the save chance and recording a loss in a 13-10 defeat at the hands of the Orioles. He retired just one hitter, in a 393 ft (104.7 EV - .850 xBA) flyout. Chapman has cooled off on the mound after a torrid start to the season out of the bullpen for the Royals - similar to his 2022 season with the Yankees -, allowing runs in three of his last four relief appearances for the club. The left-hander has always displayed overpowering stuff while struggling with command and control at times, posting a 1.20 WHIP to go along with a 14.65 K/9 ratio, three holds, and one save in 13 appearances so far this season. If he doesn't bounce back next time, though rostering him in shallow leagues should consider a change. Jorge Soler went 3-for-5 with a two-run homer and three RBI on Thursday in the Marlins' loss to the Braves. Soler did everything in his power to help the Marlins avoid a potential three-game sweep at the hands of the division-rival Braves, but it wasn't enough. He walloped a two-run homer off lefty Dylan Dodd in the opening frame and also added an RBI double in the fifth inning. The 31-year-old slugger is hitting .220/.298/.468 with 12 runs scored, six homers and 13 RBI across 121 plate appearances. Another dominant outing for Yennier Cano. Yennier Cano had another excellent outing in a 13-10 Orioles win over the Royals on Thursday afternoon. This time Cano pitched two innings striking out three and allowing a hit. Cano has now allowed two hits in 2023 and he improved his numbers to 14 innings pitched, 16 strikeouts, no runs, 2 hits, a HBP, and a insane WHIP of 0.14. Cionel Pérez struggles continue. We all know now that Danny Coulombe has replaced Cionel Pérez as the primary left-hand specialist in the bullpen, after Pérez’s struggles (5.06 ERA) so far this season. Due to the fact that Cano is now fulfilling the setup role with Brian Baker, Pérez has a different role early in the bullpen and he is just trying to get used to it. As the first of five Orioles relievers to throw against the Royals this Thursday, Pérez completed 1 1/3 innings for three hits, allowing a run while striking out and walking none of the batters. There is no doubt that he has not been the same pitcher as what we saw in 2022, but the Orioles are hopeful that he will return to his previous form and help the team in the future. Yandy Díaz hit his eighth homer and doubled versus the Pirates on Thursday. Díaz went 2-for-4 with a solo home run and a double Thursday against the Pirates. Díaz provided the Rays with the insurance run they would ultimately need to win with a solo home run in the eighth inning. He now has eight long balls on the season, only six away from his career high. Díaz has had an impressive start to the campaign overall, as Thursday's effort marked his ninth multi-hit performance in his last 15 starts. Overall, he has a .327/.432/.606 line across 125 plate appearances. Díaz is homering at more than three times his career rate, but it just doesn't seem all that fluky; he's always had fine exit velocity numbers and he's getting the ball into the air more often now. Rays' Randy Arozarena: Clubs eighth homer. Arozarena went 1-for-3 with a solo home run in Thursday's 3-2 victory over the Pirates. Arozarena swatted his third home run in four games, taking José Hernandez yard for a solo shot in the fourth inning. The left-fielder also attempted to pick up his fourth stolen base but was thrown out by Jason Delay at second in the eighth frame. After swiping 32 bags in 153 games last season, Arozarena has just three in 30 appearances while also being caught stealing three times. Despite his speed struggles in 2023, Arozarena appears to be well on his way to besting his 2021 and 2022 home run totals (20), with eight long balls through five weeks. Raisel Iglesias (shoulder) could be activated during the Braves' homestand. The Braves begin a five-game homestand on Friday, so his return is imminent assuming he feels good. Iglesias, who began the season on the injured list with shoulder inflammation, has allowed one run with a 5/0 K/BB ratio in three innings over three rehab appearances in Triple-A. A.J. Minter has really struggled as a fill-in closer, so Igleisas' return would be welcome indeed.

Major League Baseball (MLB) and other Cuban Players News for the 2023 season. A compendium from several sources May 4 Luis Robert Jr. hit a three-run homer Wednesday in the White Sox's 6-4 victory over the Twins. Robert went 1-for-4 with a three-run home run in Wednesday's 6-4 victory over Minnesota. Robert's 420-foot homer gave the White Sox a 3-0 lead in the first, and while he didn't contribute afterwards, the offense was able to produce single runs in the fourth, seventh and eighth to eke out a win. It was Robert's sixth homer in 30 games this season, so that hasn't been an issue. Though it would turn out to be Robert's only hit in the contest, it was positive step for the outfielder after he slashed just .113/.203/.161 with no homers and a 5:22 BB:K over his previous 18 games. Robert racked up six multi-hit efforts over his first 11 games of the campaign but has yet to record any such performances since. The .262 OBP and 28.4% strikeout rate are the problems. Tigers' Andy Ibáñez: Three hits in nightcap Wednesday. Ibáñez went 3-for-4 with a run scored and two RBI in an 8-1 win over the Mets during the second game of Wednesday's doubleheader. After getting the start in left field and going 0-for-2 in the matinee, Ibáñez came back out for the nightcap as the DH while batting ninth and collected his first hits since his promotion at the end of April. The 30-year-old has seen most of his action at third base so far, but his versatility could net him consistent playing time across the diamond if his bat gets going. Ibáñez does have a career .289/.361/.463 slash line in over 1,500 plate appearances at Triple-A, but he hasn't been able to replicate that level of performance in the majors. Miguel Vargas hit a two-run homer and also stole a base on Wednesday in the Dodgers' win over the Phillies. Vargas connected for a two-run homer off righty Aaron Nola in the fourth inning -- his second round tripper of the season -- and also picked up his second stolen base of his rookie campaign in this one. The 23-year-old rookie infielder has gone 11-for-39 in his last 10 games with five doubles and two home runs, He is now hitting .237/.363/.409 with 16 runs scored, two homers, 15 RBI and two stolen bases across 114 plate appearances. Diamondbacks' Lourdes Gurriel Jr.: Homers, scores three runs. Gurriel Jr. went 2-for-3 with a solo homer, two runs and two walks during Wednesday's 12-7 win against the Rangers. The Cuban outfielder walked just once in his first 83 plate appearances of the season, but he's been a bit more patient of late with six free passes in his past eight contests. Gurriel Jr. has a .276/.325/.419 slash line with two home runs, 14 RBI, 15 runs and one stolen base through 28 games. Marlins' Yuli Gurriel: Back to the lineup Wednesday. Soler hitless. Gurriel started at first base and hit third in Wednesday 14-6 loss to Atlanta. The 38-year-old picked his third start in four games, and he could be headed for regular playing time at first base in the short term after Garrett Cooper was placed on the 10-day injured list. Even at his advanced age, Gurriel continues to make contact at a high rate, so he could make for a decent source of batting average while he's getting steady playing time. He went 2-for-5 in the game with a run scored. Gurriel is slashing .310/.355/.466 with 2 homers and 5 RBI this year. In the same game, Jorge Soler went hitless (0-for-5) with three strikeouts. Roenis Elías has signed with the SSG Landers of the Korea Baseball Organization. Elías will earn $540,000 for the 2023 season and will aim to rebuild his value overseas after failing to make the Cubs' season-opening roster earlier this year. The 34-year-old lefty made seven relief appearances last year for the Mariners. Rays' Randy Arozarena: Day off Wednesday. Arozarena wasn't in the starting lineup Wednesday against the Pirates. Arozarena doubled in a 1-for-4 performance Tuesday and boasts a 1.019 OPS over his last 10 games. Nestor Cortés is dealing with strep throat and will have his next start pushed back to Monday against the Athletics. Yankees manager Aaron Boone added that Cortés may have been dealing with the ailment during his previous start against the Rangers when he was lit up for seven runs over 4 2/3 innings in an uncharacteristically poor outing. The left-hander will not face the Rays this weekend in an effort to get him some extra time off to rest and recover.

Major League Baseball (MLB) and other Cuban Players News for the 2023 season. A compendium from several sources May 2 Miguel Vargas went 4-for-5 with three RBI on Tuesday in the Dodgers' one-sided victory over the Phillies. Vargas went 4-for-5 with three doubles, three RBI and two runs scored in Tuesday's 13-1 win over the Phillies. This was Vargas' fourth multi-hit effort of the campaign, and the first time he logged more than two hits. The 23-year-old infielder had a two-run double in the seventh inning and an RBI single in the eighth as the Dodgers piled on runs late. Vargas is still adjusting to major-league pitching, as evidenced by his .236 batting average, but he's gotten on base at a .367 clip thanks to a 16.5 percent walk rate. He has one home run, one stolen base, 13 RBI, 14 runs scored and eight doubles through 109 plate appearances. Athletics placed INF Aledmys Díaz on the 10-day injured list, retroactive to April 30, with a left hamstring strain. The 32-year-old felt improved enough on Monday that the club thought about taking things day-to-day with Diaz, but they'll instead put the roster spot to better use while he recovers from a Grade 1 hamstring strain. Nick Allen was recalled from Triple-A Las Vegas on Tuesday. Orioles' Yennier Cano: Allows first hit of the season. Cano allowed his first hit of the season Tuesday night in a 11-7 win over the Royals. Cano started the ninth inning allowing Maikel García infield hit single, but ended up retiring Kyle Isbel, Bobby With Jr - strikeout - and Vinnie Pasquantino in order to end the game. There was only one streak longer than Cano's in either league to start a season and that streak was started by John Franco with the Reds in 1987 with 11. Cano hasn't a run or walk across ten outings (12 innings) and has 13 strikeouts. Yandy Díaz returned to the Rays' lineup for Tuesday's series opener against the Pirates. Díaz was back atop Tampa Bay's lineup after being lifted from Friday's game against the White Sox due to left shoulder soreness, which has been a lingering issue for him dating back to last season. Díaz went 0-for-1 with three walks in a 4-1 win over the Pirates. The 31-year-old on-base machine is in the midst of a breakthrough season, batting .316/.431/.579 with seven homers and 16 RBI across 116 plate appearances. White Sox optioned OF Oscar Colás to Triple-A Charlotte. Colás has been jettisoned to the minors after batting just .211/.265/.276 with one homer, seven RBI and a pair of stolen bases across 84 plate appearances to open the 2023 campaign. The 24-year-old top prospect will get to play everyday at Triple-A Charlotte moving forward and should get another chance in the majors later this year. Luis Robert Jr. returned to the White Sox' lineup for Tuesday's series opener against the Twins. Robert Jr. returned after sitting out Sunday's game against the Rays due to some hamstring soreness. He was involved in a bizarre incident on Saturday when he was removed from the game for a lack of hustle and said afterwards that he was dealing with a hamstring issue. He batted fifth in the lineup and went 1-for-3 with a walk and a strikeout.

Major League Baseball (MLB) and other Cuban Players News for the 2023 season. A compendium from several sources April 30 Yennier Cano recorded four outs against the Tigers for his second career save Sunday. Cano picked up the save during Sunday's 5-3 win over Detroit, tossing 1.1 perfect innings while striking out two. Cano entered a 4-3 game in the eighth with two on and two out. He struck out Jake Rogers to escape the jam, and with Felix Bautista likely unavailable after pitching three of the last four days, Cano came back out for the ninth. He retired Andy Ibanez, Zach McKinstry and Riley Greene in order to secure his second save in as many tries. Cano hasn't allowed a hit, run or walk across nine outings (11 innings) and has 12 strikeouts. Yordan Álvarez: Got on base twice Sunday. Having been sidelined from the lineup days ago, Yordan played in his second consecutive game.In a 4-3 Astros victory, he went 1-for-3 with a walk and a strikeout. Currently slashing .272/.388/.543 with 6 homers and 27 RBI, Yordan is a strong candidate to win the American League MVP award. Johan Oviedo was lit up for seven runs in 2 1/3 innings by the Nationals on Sunday. Oviedo (2-2) took the loss Sunday, allowing seven runs on nine hits and two walks over 2.1 innings in a 7-2 loss against the Nationals. He struck out one. It was a rough day for Oviedo, as he allowed seven runs on nine hits without making it out of the third inning. He's now allowed 11 earned runs in his last two starts (7.2 innings) after surrendering just two runs over his previous 16.2 innings. Oviedo's ERA is up to 4.78 with a 1.47 WHIP and 30:12 K:BB. He'll try to get back on track in his next outing, currently lined up for next week against the Blue Jays. Nestor Cortés was tagged for seven runs in 4 2/3 innings Sunday in a loss to the Rangers. Cortés (3-2) took the loss Sunday against the Rangers after allowing seven runs on five hits and four walks while striking out seven. Cortés was punished by the long ball and a lack of command in this one while needing 100 pitches to get through 4.2 innings. The southpaw retired Marcus Semien to kick things off but then issued consecutive walks and a single to load the bases for Josh Jung, who capitalized with a grand slam to right. Cortés settled down from there, retiring 12 of the next 14 hitters before running into some more problems in the fifth. The 28-year-old gave up another walk and proceeded to give up back-to-back home runs to Nathaniel Lowe and Adolis García to put the Yanks in a 7-1 hole. All-around it was an uncharacteristic outing for Cortés, who had not given up more than four runs in any of his prior 33 starts dating back to the start of the 2022 campaign. He now holds a 4.91 ERA, 1.18 WHIP and 35:9 K:BB over 33 innings and lines up to face the Rays next weekend. Aledmys Díaz was diagnosed with a Grade 1 left hamstring strain and may not require a trip to the injured list. A's skipper Mark Kotsay told reporters that the MRI exam on Diaz's hamstring came back better than they anticipated, so they'll take it day-by-day for at least a couple of days to see how he responds before making a decision on whether or not he'll require a trip to the injured list. Rangers' Adolis García: Homers in lopsided win. García went 2-for-3 with a solo homer, a walk and three runs scored in Sunday's 15-2 win over the Yankees. García went back-to-back with Nathaniel Lowe in the fifth for his eighth home run of the season and his league-leading 30th RBI. He would also get a base knock and a walk and came around to score both times and now sits second in baseball with 24 runs scored. He also made an accurate throw to home plate in the top of the fourth inning to get DJ LeMahieu out. Sunday was García's fourth multi-hit effort over his last nine games and he's bumped up his slash line to .267/.322/.533. The 30-year-old has showcased more patience at the dish thus far, striking out just under 23 percent of the time, which would be the lowest mark of his career by a significant margin. Yasmani Grandal: Homered on Sunday. In Sunday's 12-9 win over the Rays, Grandal went 1-for-4 with a solo home run and two RBI. He hit his third homerun of the season. After scoring one run in the first inning, the White Sox were unable to score again until Grandal hit a two-run homer off Drew Rasmussen in the sixth inning. The veteran backstop experienced a dramatic decline in power last season with just five homers in 376 plate appearances. However, it's worth remembering that he hit at least 22 long balls each campaign (aside from the shortened 2020 season) from 2016 to 2021. White Sox's Luis Robert: Was not in lineup Sunday. Robert (hamstring) was not in the starting lineup for Sunday's game against the Rays, Vinnie Duber of AllCHGO.com reported. It was not completely clear whether Robert is out of the lineup due to the tightness in his right hamstring or if this is a continued punishment for not running hard to first base, which resulted in him being removed early in the loss to the Rays on Saturday. Rays' Yandy Díaz: Still out Sunday. Díaz (shoulder) was not in the lineup for Sunday's game against the White Sox, Ryan Bass of Bally Sports Sun reported. Díaz was out of the lineup for the second consecutive game after he exited Friday's contest with soreness in his left shoulder. The 31-year-old will now have Monday's team off day to aid in his recovery before potentially missing more time.

Major League Baseball (MLB) and other Cuban Players News for the 2023 season. A compendium from several sources April 30 Luis Robert Jr. is not in the White Sox starting lineup for Sunday's finale against the Rays. Robert is not in the starting lineup for Sunday's game against the Rays, Vinnie Duber of AllCHGO.com reports. It's not completely clear at this time whether Robert is out of the lineup due to the tightness in his right hamstring, or if this is a continued punishment for not running hard to first base that saw him removed early in the loss to the Rays on Saturday. Adam Haseley is starting in center field and leading off for the White Sox with Robert out of the lineup. Rays' Yandy Díaz: Still out Sunday. Díaz (shoulder) is not in the lineup for Sunday's game against the White Sox, Ryan Bass of Bally Sports Sun reports. Díaz will be out of the lineup for the second consecutive game after he exited Friday's contest with soreness in his left shoulder. The 31-year-old should be available off the bench and will now have Monday's team off day to aid in his recovery before potentially missing more time. Luke Raley will start at first base in Sunday's series finale. April 29 Randy Arozarena hit two homers and drove in four runs as the Rays topped the White Sox 12-3 on Saturday. Arozarena went 2-for-5 with two homers and four RBI scored in Saturday's victory over the White Sox. The Rays were down 3-0 and getting no-hit after six tonight, yet it turned into another rout anyway. Arozarena smacked a three-run shot in the Rays' 10-run seventh inning and popped a solo shot in the ninth. Arozarena is hitting .333/.400/.590 with seven homers and 28 RBI, making him a definite candidate for AL Player of the Month honors for April. Arozarena is also on pace to surpass his career-high mark of 20 homers. Yandy Díaz came off the bench to walk twice against the White Sox on Saturday. Díaz was again held out of the starting lineup because of shoulder soreness, but he was able to take two plate appearances and play three innings on defense tonight. Díaz left Friday's game against the White Sox with left shoulder soreness. He went 1-for-2 with a run scored before exiting. Dodgers' Miguel Vargas: One double on Saturday. Vargas went 1-for-4 with his fifth double of the season in Saturday's 1-0 victory against the Cardinals. It was his second consecutive 1-for-4 game after Vargas hit his first homer of the campaign on Friday night. While Vargas has shown good discipline at the plate this season -- he ranks second on the team with 16 walks and has recorded a solid 20.9 percent strikeout rate -- the 23-year-old's overall production has been mild. He's slashing .221/.358/.351 with one home run, five doubles, a triple, 11 runs, eight RBI and one stolen base through 96 plate appearances. Royals' Aroldis Chapman: Collects win Saturday. Chapman (1-1) struck out two in a perfect inning, earning the win Saturday versus the Twins. Chapman faltered a bit in Arizona, allowing three runs (two earned) over 1.1 innings in two appearances, but he got back on track Saturday. The hard-throwing lefty has pitched well this season with a 1.74 ERA, 0.87 WHIP and 19:3 K:BB across 10.1 innings. He's added a save and two holds. Chapman continues to be part of the late-inning mix, though Scott Barlow has seen the bulk of the closing duties on the rare occasions the Royals have a lead to protect. Astros' José Abreu: Down to sixth in lineup. Abreu was moved down to sixth in the lineup, at least against righties and he went 1-for-4 in a 6-1 loss to the Phillies on Saturday. Abreu began the season hitting cleanup and was moved down to fifth in the lineup for the last four games against righties, and now he slips to his lowest spot since joining the Astros. The veteran first baseman is hitting .243 with a .276 OBP and zero home runs this season. He has hit one home run in his last 81 games. The replacement of Yuli Gurriel with Abreu for this season has always been controversial and Abreu's performance so far shows that. Yordan Álvarez returned to the Astros' lineup for Saturday's contest against the Phillies. It's a significant development for the Astros that Álvarez was feeling well enough to get back into Houston's lineup at designated hitter on Saturday evening following a four-game absence due to neck discomfort. In the game, Álvarez went 2-for-3 with a walk adding his double #4 of the season in a 6-1 loss to the Phillies. The White Sox confirmed that Luis Robert Jr. was pulled from Saturday's game against the Rays due to a managerial decision, and not due to injury. Oscar Colás went hitless. It was Robert's lack of hustle on a dribbler to the left side of the mound that he would have easily beaten out for a single had he been running to first base that sparked the decision from manager Pedro Grifol. It's certainly not a good look for the 25-year-old outfielder to by lollygagging to first base when the team is in the midst of a nine-game losing streak. It's unclear if this was all the discipline that he'll get, or if he may sit out another game or two. Stay tuned. Robert's spot was filled by Oscar Colás who went 0-for-3 with 3 LOB in an ugly 12-3 loss to the Rays. The Athletics confirmed that Aledmys Díaz was pulled from Saturday's affair against the Reds due to a left hamstring injury. He'll head for further evaluation, which should determine the severity of the injury and how much time the versatile infielder may miss. Kevin Smith replaced him at shortstop on Saturday and could be in line for additional playing time if Díaz winds up landing on the injured list.