Cuban Players News for the 2024 Major League Baseball season. A compilation of several sources Néstor Cortés pitched six scoreless innings while striking out six to earn the win on Tuesday against the Orioles. Cortés needed 25 pitches to get through the first inning, thanks in part to back-to-back singles by Adley Rutschman and Ryan Mountcastle. He would eventually settle in to pitch six scoreless innings without walking a batter. The crafty lefty was at his baffling best, and the only runner Baltimore got past second base against Cortés came on an Austin Wells passed ball in the sixth inning. Cortés threw a season-high 105 pitches (64 strikes) in the outing, his first time in triple digits since April 20, while the quality start was his second straight and seventh of the campaign. He'll take a 3.36 ERA, 1.10 WHIP and 86:18 K:BB through 93.2 innings into his next start, which lines up to come at home this weekend against Atlanta. Randy Arozarena hit a three-run homer on Tuesday in the Rays’ loss to the Twins. Arozarena went 1-for-4 with a three-run home run during Tuesday's 7-6 loss to the Twins. Arozarena took Twins ace Pablo López deep with two outs in the opening frame for his 10th big fly of the season. Arozarena went 32 days between homers, but has now launched two long balls in his last three games. The 29-year-old has started to show some signs of life lately, batting .273 (12-for-44) with two homers over his last 15 games. He's still batting .179 with a 25.5 percent strikeout rate. Raisel Iglesias pitched a perfect ninth inning to pick up his 19th save on Tuesday against the Tigers. After giving way to Joe Jiménez to shut the door on Monday, Iglesias was back on the bump on Tuesday to close things out vs. the Tigers. Iglesias picked up the save Tuesday against Detroit, throwing a perfect inning with one strikeout. Iglesias is now 19-for-21 on save chances this season and holds the fourth most saves in baseball. Tuesday's outing was a strong rebound after allowing a two-run homer and taking the loss Sunday against Tampa Bay. Overall, Iglesias owns a 2.60 ERA across 27.2 innings. Andy Pagés swats homer in win. Pagés went 1-for-3 with a solo home run, an additional run scored and two walks in Tuesday's 11-9 win over the Rockies. Pagés got the Dodgers on the board with his second-inning blast. The rookie outfielder has gone 5-for-21 with two homers over his last six contests, and he continues to see steady playing time in center field. Pagés is up to a .262/.318/.426 slash line with eight long balls, 21 RBI, 34 runs scored, one stolen base and nine doubles through 55 games. Yordan Alvarez is not in the lineup for Tuesday’s game against the White Sox due to a family matter. The positive news here is that Astros manager Joe Espada told reporters Alvarez could return as early as Wednesday. Alvarez went 2-for-9 with two RBI and two strikeouts over the team's three-game series with the Tigers prior to Monday's off day. The 26-year-old slugger, who boasts a stellar .873 OPS with 14 homers and a career-high three steals this season through 71 games, is getting his first off day since May 18. Miguel Vargas was in left field and batted eighth in Tuesday’s game against the Rockies. Vargas draws his first start for the Dodgers since being recalled earlier this week from Triple-A Oklahoma City. Vargas finished 2-for-3 with a double, two runs scored, two RBIs, and a walk. It is a positive sign for the Cuban, who is looking for a spot in the Dodgers' loaded lineup. In 27 plate appearances in 2024, he has hit .304/.370/.609 with one HR and 5 RBIs. The 24-year-old post-hype prospect tore the cover off the ball earlier this year in the minors and appears poised to finally get an extended shot in Los Angeles with Mookie Betts likely to miss at least two months. Adolis García was not in the lineup for Tuesday’s game against the Mets. It appears to be a routine off day for García, who has been struggling of late, batting .152 (17-for-112) with five homers and two steals, while also striking out 34 times, over his last 30 contests. It’s possible a mental break will help get things back on track. Yasmani Grandal was absent from lineup. Grandal was not in the lineup for Tuesday's game against the Reds. Grandal has now started every other game across the last nine contests. Despite entering the game late, he did not have any at bats. Yoán Moncada should return around All-Star break. White Sox GM Chris Getz said Tuesday that Moncada is expected to return around the All-Star break, which runs July 15-18, Vinnie Duber of AllCHGO.com reported. The 29-year-old suffered an adductor strain in early May and was given an initial return timeline of 3-to-6 months, and it appears he's on track to be back at the front of that window. Moncada will likely require at least a handful of games in the minors to get back up to speed before being activated. Johan Oviedo is now throwing from 75 feet. Oviedo resumed throwing from 75 feet earlier this month, MLB.com reported. Oviedo is likely to gradually increase his throwing distance off flat ground for at least another week or two before potentially graduating to throwing bullpen sessions. He'll miss the entire 2024 season while he continues his recovery from his Dec. 6 Tommy John surgery. Yanquiel Fernández making more contact. Yanquiel is hitting .277 with a .320 on-base percentage and five home runs in 201 plate appearances for Double-A Hartford. He has established at past stops that he has at least plus raw power, but while he has improved as a contact hitter in a return to the Eastern League (64.2 Contact% in 2023, 77.7 Contact% in 2024), he's sacrificing impact at the dish. The Cuban right fielder has a poor 19.9 percent soft-hit rate and a career-worst 28 percent infield-flyball rate. He's still just 21 -- the eighth-youngest qualified hitter in the Eastern League -- and the park at Hartford is the most pitcher-friendly home park Fernández will play in for as long as he remains in the Rockies organization.

Cuban Players News for the 2024 Major League Baseball season. A compilation of several sources Daysbel Hernández nabs first win. Hernández (1-0) picked up the win Monday over the Tigers, giving up a hit and a walk in a scoreless eighth inning, he struck out two. With the score tied 1-1, the right-hander faced the heart of Detroit's order and escaped a one-out jam by fanning Gio Urshela and Akil Baddoo. Hernández has been effective in four big-league appearances this year, allowing just an unearned run in four innings with a 5:3 K:BB, but he's unlikely to see more than occasional high-leverage usage in Atlanta's deep bullpen. On Monday, Andy Ibáñez had one hit. Tigers infielder Andy Ibáñez started at first base and batted second against Atlanta Braves left-hander Max Fried on Monday. With one run scored and one strikeout, he went 1-for-4. While he has hit .273/.302/.394 with two home runs and 16 RBIs this year in a limited role, he has hit .316/.350/.421 with three RBIs in his last seven games. Soler extends his hitting streak to five games. On Monday, Soler went 1-for-2 in a 7-6 win over the Cubs to extend his hitting streak to five games. Besides scoring two runs, Soler walked twice. Soler has been hitting well over the last 15 games with a slash line of .308/.403/.500, two home runs, seven RBIs, and eight walks. With 8 HRs and 22 RBIs, he is up to .227/.316/.389 for the year. On Monday, Yasmani Grandal and Aroldis Chapman faced the Reds. Following his benching on Sunday, Grandal returned to action. With the ninth spot in the lineup, Grandal went 1-for-3 in a 4-1 victory over the Reds. With his power, his main offensive weapon, completely reduced to only two home runs, he's now hitting just .185/.211/.283. In the same game, Aroldis Chapman earned his 13th hold with a strikeout in the seventh inning. The strikeout put him at 44 strikeouts in 32 games and 26 innings. It's the veteran reliever's fifth consecutive game without allowing a run in a month of June as he pitches for just 1.35 (6.2 innings/1 earned run). Yariel Rodríguez has joined the Blue Jays and could start this weekend against the Guardians. Last weekend, the Jays considered starting Rodríguez, but instead they sent him to Triple-A. Rodríguez struck out seven over three innings, allowing two runs. He tossed 79 pitches in the outing and should be built up enough to handle a traditional starter's workload, if the Blue Jays want to give it to him. As a result of his six rehab starts for Buffalo, he walked ten and struck out 23 over a total of 14 innings. While he could help the Jays, it's hard to see how he'd be any sort of winner unless they use an opener before him. Adrián Morejón was hit hard by the Phillies. In Monday's game against the Phillies, Morejon had arguably his worst outing of the season. He pitched 1 1/3 innings of relief, allowing three hits, two earned runs, and striking out one. Despite good relief in the 5th inning, the runs were scored in the 6th when Rafael Marchán hit a single and Kyle Schwarber hit a home run. Turner's third straight hit led to Morejón having to be replaced by Jhony Brito after retiring Bryce Harper on a double play groundball. With 33 strikeouts in 29 1/3 innings, he has a 2.45 ERA this year. In 21 games, Schwarber's HR was Morejón's first allowed this year. On Monday, Adolis García and José Iglesias went hitless. Adolis went hitless for the second straight game on Monday. In the Rangers' 14-2 loss to the Mets, he went 0-for-3 with a strikeout. The Cuban outfielder has struggled offensively since May, when he posted a slash line of .165/.224/.320 with four home runs and 12 RBIs. The offensive line has fallen even further to .145/.200/.218 with a solitary HR, three RBIs and 16 strikeouts in 15 games so far this month. In the same game, José Iglesias entered as a pinch hitter and went 0-for-2 with a strikeout for the Mets. In a limited role, the veteran infielder has hit .400/.444/.480 with 3 RBIs and one stolen base in 9 games this season.

Cuban Players News for the 2024 Major League Baseball season. A compilation of several sources Jorge Soler went 2-for-4 with a three-run homer, four RBI and a walk Sunday in leading the Giants to a 13-6 win over the Angels. Soler began the Giants' nine-run fourth inning with a walk and came around to score. Later that frame, he belted a three-run shot before capping off his day with an RBI double in the eighth. It was his eighth home run of the season and second over his last 18 games. While Soler is still sporting a lackluster .224/.309/.383 slash line this season, he's starting to heat up; he's gone 15-for-48 (.313) with five extra-base hits and 10 runs scored over his last 13 games. Andy Ibáñez smacked a pinch-hit RBI double in the ninth inning on Sunday, accounting for the Tigers’ lone run in a loss to the Astros. Ibáñez did what he does best — mash left-handed pitching — crushing an RBI double off of Josh Hader that plated Mark Canha from first base with the Tigers’ first run in the ballgame. On the season, the 31-year-old infielder is now slashing .274/.304/.400 with a pair of homers, 16 RBI and a stolen base in 102 plate appearances. Miguel Vargas is expected to join the Dodgers in Colorado on Monday with Mookie Betts landing on the injured list. Vargas was just optioned to Triple-A on Wednesday, but he’ll head right back with Betts heading to the injured list. Dodgers’ skipper Dave Roberts said that Miguel Rojas and Enrique Hernandez are likely to see the bulk of the action at shortstop with Betts sidelined, but that Vargas will fill a role on the team’s bench. However, if he gets a chance and starts to hit, it’s going to be hard for Roberts to keep Vargas’ bat out of the lineup. Yennier Cano got one out on four pitches Sunday to grab the save. He struck out the only batter he faced. Things got hairy in the ninth inning for Baltimore as a walk and two errors loaded the bases and forced Brandon Hyde to go to Cano with the tying run on deck. He struck out Edmundo Sosa to end the game and earned his third save of the season working in mostly a set-up role while Craig Kimbrel still soaks up the majority of saves. Braves recalled RHP Daysbel Hernández from Triple-A Gwinnett. Hernández rejoins Atlanta’s bullpen prior to Monday’s series opener against the Tigers. The 27-year-old righty has allowed one run (zero earned) with a 3/2 K/BB ratio across three innings (three appearances) this season in the majors. Lourdes Gurriel Jr. was not in the starting lineup against the White Sox on Sunday. Gurriel got the day off for the series finale against the White Sox. While he rested, Randal Grichuk got the start; something that doesn’t typically happen against right-hander hurlers. Gurriel enetred the game as a pinch hitter and went 0-for-1 with a strikeout. Oscar Colás is fading into reserve role. Colás was out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Diamondbacks. Colás is on the bench for the third game in a row and looks like he'll serve as little more than a fourth or fifth outfielder for the White Sox following the recent returns of Tommy Pham and Andrew Benintendi from the injured list. Braves optioned OF J.P. Martínez to Triple-A Gwinnett. Martínez heads back to the minors after going 2-for-10 with a double and one stolen base across seven games in a brief stint with the Braves. The 28-year-old figures to be up-and-down over the next few months as emergency outfield depth for Atlanta.

Cuban Players News for the 2024 Major League Baseball season. A compilation of several sources Raisel Iglesias picked up his 17th save with a scoreless ninth against the Orioles on Thursday. Even though the Braves are struggling to score, Iglesias has had easier save chances than most closers. Iglesias allowed one hit while tossing a scoreless ninth inning to collect the save Thursday against the Orioles. Iglesias hit the first batter he faced, then allowed a one-out single but settled down to record the final two outs and pick up his 17th save in 19 attempts. Iglesias has only allowed one run over his last nine outings since May 17, with each appearance lasting exactly one inning. He's gone 7-for-7 in save opportunities over that span. Yandy Díaz went 2-for-4 with an RBI against the Cubs on Thursday. Yandi’s RBI single was the difference in the 3-2 Rays win. The defending batting champion in the American League is heating up at the plate. He’s now 17-for-50 (.340) in his last 12 games to get his average up to .260 on the season. Andy Pagés connected on a solo homer in a loss to the Rangers for the Dodgers on Thursday. Pagés took Michael Lorenzen deep for the Dodgers only run of the game. That gives Pages seven homers and 20 RBI, and the round tripper along with a single sees the slash go up to .270/.320/.427. Luis Robert Jr. was back in lineup Thursday. Luis Robert Jr. was back in the White Sox lineup on Thursday against the Mariners. Robert did not start on Wednesday, but hit a pinch-hit home run in the ninth inning to tie the game. He was back in center field and hitting No. 3 in the lineup for the White Sox. In the game he went 1-for-4 with his seventh home run of the year, a run scored, an RBI and a walk. Currently, he is up to 10 RBIs in 2024, and his OPS has increased to .845, which is close to an elite mark. Néstor Cortés pitched seven innings of two-run ball in a no-decision against the Royals on Thursday. Cortés turned in his best start in weeks, but he was still in line for the loss when he left. Cortes allowed two runs on six hits and two walks while striking out two over seven innings during Thursday's 4-3 loss to the Royals. He didn't factor in the decision. Cortés ran into some trouble in the fourth inning with two runs allowed but otherwise kept Kansas City off the board, pitching deep into yet another start. The Yankees offense did let him off the hook, but the Bombers still lost the game to fall to 6-9 in Cortés’ starts. It’s a bizarre figure, given that Cortés has been pretty good with his 3.59 ERA and the team is 43-13 when anyone else starts. This was his fifth outing this season of seven or more innings, which is tied for the second most in the American League. The two strikeouts tied for a season low, and the veteran lefty has now gone four straight starts without a win. His next start lines up to come against the Orioles next week. Randy Arozarena was back in the lineup for Thursday’s game against the Cubs. Arozarena played left field and batted second against the Cubs after being held out of the lineup for the last two games of the series due to right hamstring tightness. He was able to pinch-hit each of the last two nights and remained in to play left field last night. In the game he went 0-for-4 with a strikeout. The 29-year-old is slashing a miserable .171/.278/.312 on the year in 234 at-bats with eight home runs, 20 RBI, seven stolen bases and 28 runs scored. The good news is Arozarena has looked a little better in June, going 8-for-32 (.250) with two doubles and an RBI in 11 games played.

Cuban Players News for the 2024 Major League Baseball season. A compilation of several sources Yordan Alvarez went 2-for-4 with a two-run homer on Wednesday in the Astros’ loss to the Giants. José Abreu: hitless again. Alvarez took Giants ace Logan Webb deep with a monstrous 405-foot blast to center field in the sixth inning. He also had a 414-foot double in the fourth inning that would’ve been a homer in virtually every other ballpark besides Oracle Park. Over his last 31 games, the 26-year-old superstar slugger is batting .347 with seven long balls, 17 RBI, and 20 runs scored for the Astros as Houston's everyday No. 3 hitter. He’s also chipped in a pair of stolen bases during that span as well, just for good measure. In the other hand, José Abreu went hitless again, with a 0-for-3 performance. Jorge Soler got on base four times. Soler went 2-for-2 with two walks and one run scored in Wednesday's 5-3 win over the Astros. Soler has found some success at the plate in June, going 11-for-37 (.297) over 10 contests this month. He's also drawn four walks over his last three games, though his 9.6 percent walk rate is still his lowest since 2015. While it's good to see the designated hitter make more consistent contact, he's still struggling to hit for power. He's batting .217 with a .661 OPS, seven home runs, 18 RBI, 26 runs scored, nine doubles and no stolen bases over 56 games this season. Soler's lowest OPS in a season is .503 in 2017, but he played in just 35 games that year. Luis Robert Jr. went 1-for-1 with a solo homer against the Mariners on Wednesday. Robert Jr. was on the bench for this one and entered the game as a pinch-hitter to lead off the top of the ninth. With the White Sox trailing by one run, he took Mike Baumann deep to tie things up. Robert was able to extend the contest with his game-tying blast in the ninth inning. The outfielder has four homers over eight games since he returned from a hip injury, but he's added just one other hit while posting a 3:13 BB:K in that span. He's up to six homers on the year with a .196/.250/.554 slash line through 60 plate appearances. Robert is still seeing steady rest given his lengthy injury history, though his power is a welcome addition to a fairly punchless lineup -- he already has the fourth most homers among White Sox batters this year. It was a hitless night for Lourdes Gurriel Jr. As a result of the D-backs' 8-3 loss to the Angels, the streak of consecutive hitting games ended at four. During the game, Gurriel Jr. went 0-for-3 with a strikeout. Despite this, the Cuban has enjoyed a great start to June, with an offensive line of .333/.366/.615, 3 HRs and 10 RBIs. Ten consecutive at-bats go by without a hit for Adolis García. In terms of offensive stability, Adolis hasn't had the best year. As the Rangers defeated the Dodgers 3-2 on Wednesday, Adolis went 0-for-4, which extended his streak without a hit to ten ABs. June has been a miserable month for him with a .103/.143/.179 offensive line, only one home run, and three RBIs. Despite this, Adolis remains a solid pillar in Texas' lineup, and his 40 RBIs and 13 home runs demonstrate that. Dodgers optioned INF/OF Miguel Vargas to Triple-A Oklahoma City. With Cavan Biggio arriving in Los Angeles after being acquired from the Blue Jays earlier Wednesday, Vargas was headed back to Triple-A to open up a spot on the 26-man active roster. During his stay with the Dodgers following his promotion from Triple-A on May 17, Vargas started in just six games and hit .250 with one home run and one stolen base over 23 plate appearances. The 24-year-old will now go back to Oklahoma City and bide his time on the farm for a potential call-up later this season. On a stacked Dodgers team, it's hard to envision Vargas getting any kind of serious playing time again in 2024. In his three big-league seasons in LA, including this year, Vargas is slashing a weak .195/.291/.362 with nine home runs, 44 RBI and five steals in 107 games played. Yasmani Grandal hit bench Wednesday. Grandal was out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Cardinals. Grandal gave way to Henry Davis behind the plate after catching in three of the Pirates' previous four games. Since returning to action May 3 after a season-opening stint on the injured list while he recovered from plantar fasciitis, Grandal has hit just .163 with two home runs, one stolen base, 12 RBI and six runs through his first 25 games with Pittsburgh. José Iglesias out of the lineup Wednesday. Iglesias was out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Marlins. Iglesias had started at second base in five of the past six games while the Mets faced a lefty-heavy schedule, but he retreated to the bench Wednesday even though Miami is bringing southpaw Braxton Garrett to the hill. Jeff McNeil got the nod at second base and remains the Mets' top option at the keystone, but Iglesias should continue to play ahead of McNeil against most lefties. Randy Arozarena was out of the Ray’s lineup again on Wednesday against the Cubs. Arozarena is battling through a hamstring issue but was able to pinch hit on Tuesday and yesterday. He went 0-for-1. The Rays are calling him day-to-day, so it’s likely that he’s close but not ready to be out in the field for an entire game or sprinting around the bases. Yariel Rodríguez ready to return this weekend. Blue Jays manager John Schneider said Wednesday that the club is considering activating Rodríguez from the 15-day injured list to start either Saturday versus the Guardians, Shi Davidi of Sportsnet.ca reported. Rodríguez was terrific in his latest and likely final rehab start with Triple-A Buffalo on Tuesday, striking out 10 over four shutout innings while scattering three hits and one walk. He would be starting on short rest if he's brought back Saturday, but the club is considering it because it prefers giving José Berrios an extra day of rest before his next outing, which would fall Sunday. If Rodríguez is in fact tabbed to fill the opening in the rotation Saturday, he could be deployed as part of a tandem with Bowden Francis, who had been occupying the No. 5 spot in the rotation following Alek Manoah's move to the IL. It will be important that Yariel proves that he can pitch deep in games when he returns to the Majors as a starter. In a big week for Edgar Quero, he hits three home runs. A year ago, the Chicago White Sox acquired the Angels' #4 prospect Edgar Quero during Los Angeles' brief window of aggressive buying. His defensive skills are among the best in the minors, and he should have no trouble staying behind the dish for a long time. Besides framing pitches well, he can throw out a lot of runners. In terms of offense, he hits well enough to maintain a decent average and show respectable power. His top skill is fielding, but he also has an average or slightly above-average hit tool. In the past week, Quero went 13-for-21 with three home runs, five RBIs, five walks, and only three strikeouts. In addition to showing advanced vision with the bat, he showed some optimism regarding the impact he may have with his bat and glove in the future. It appears Quero has the potential to be an All-Star catcher.

Cuban Players News for the 2024 Major League Baseball season. A compilation of several sources Lourdes Gurriel Jr. went 3-for-5 with a pair of RBI on Tuesday as the Diamondbacks beat the Angels 9-4. The 30-year-old outfielder smacked a two-run single off of Hunter Strickland in the seventh inning. He also singled in the first and sixth inning. With his three-hit attack, Gurriel is now batting .254/.293/.409 with nine homers, 41 RBIs, and three stolen bases on the season. In the last seven games he is hitting a stellar .407/.448/.593 with a homer, four runs scored, and eight RBIs. Randy Arozarena grounded out as a pinch-hitter during Tuesday’s contest against the Cubs. It’s an extremely encouraging sign that Arozarena was available to pinch-hit after being scratched from Tuesday’s lineup with right hamstring tightness. The 29-year-old corner outfielder has shown some real signs of life recently, so the hope here is that he’ll be ready to return to Tampa Bay’s lineup shortly. It doesn’t appear that he’s dealing with a serious ailment but he will be considered day-to-day moving forward. Adrián Morejón's third hold. There is no doubt that the Cuban left-handed pitcher is in a good place at the moment. His third hold of the season was a perfect seventh inning without a strikeout. With 3 strikeouts and 2 2/3 innings, he has now thrown in three straight scoreless games. With 19 games and 27 innings under his belt, his ERA is now 2.00. Tuesday saw the tandem of Yenier Cano and Cionel Pérez in action. Against the Braves, Cano closed the seventh inning with a strikeout, notching his 17th hold of the season. Meanwhile, Cionel arrived in the eighth inning and easily retired it, accepting a hit but avoiding a run. Consequently, he reduced his ERA on the year to 3.57 with 17 strikeouts in 17 2/3 innings. Andy Pagés went 2-for-5 with two runs scored against the Rangers on Tuesday. Pagés seems to be getting it together lately, which is great to see. The better defensive center fielder in Triple-A is James Outman, so Pagés might have been due to go back to the minors if not for his 17-for-53 streak in his last fifteen games. The Dodgers are likely to remain with the status quo for some time to come. Outman may overtake Pagés at some point, but the Cuban outfielder doesn't seem to let the glove slip so easily and is putting up numbers that should keep him with the Dodgers. Tuesday, Yordan Alvarez had one hit and José Abreu was idle. Yordan went 1-for-4 against the Giants in Houston's 3-1 win. The single leaves him with a combined offensive line of .290/.365/.506 for the season with 15 doubles, triples, 13 home runs, and 33 RBIs. Meanwhile, Abreu wasn't in the Astros' lineup versus the Giants on Tuesday. Prior to being absent from the lineup Tuesday, Abreu had made six straight starts and had made appearances in nine consecutive games, going 5-for-29 over the latter span. With the 37-year-old getting a breather, Jon Singleton started at first and batted fifth. Yariel Rodríguez struck out 10 over four shutout innings on Tuesday in a minor league rehab start for Triple-A Buffalo. Rodríguez scattered three hits and one walk, needing an economical 67 pitches (46 strikes) to navigate four frames. According to Baseball Savant, Rodríguez threw 23 fastballs, 19 curveballs, 16 sliders, eight splitters and one sinker. In the start, his fastball reached 95.1 mph while averaging 92.3 mph. Four whiffs were also generated on nine swings by the pitch. Sliders were also working in the game. All three times Worcester hitters took a swing at it, it produced a whiff, and Rodriguez landed it seven times for a called strike. The 27-year-old righty has made a handful of rehab appearances so far and figures to be ready to return to Toronto’s pitching mix as a multi-inning relief weapon at some point in the near future. Before going on the injured list, the 27-year-old pitched 15.1 innings with 16 strikeouts over four starts for the MLB team. Lázaro Montes continuing incredible run in the Minors. Seattle Mariners outfield prospect Lázaro Montes has been one of the best hitters in the minor leagues this season and has continued to post incredible numbers at Single-A. In his past seven games, the 19-year-old has held a .320/.438/.720 slash line with three home runs, eight RBI, and a 6:4 BB:K ratio. Overall, in 54 games with Single-A Modesto, he has a .329/.426/.559 line with 12 long balls and an incredible 64 RBI. Montes got a small taste of Single-A last summer and is clearly ready to move up to High-A. MLB Pipeline ranks Montes as the number four prospect in the Seattle system and 82nd among all prospects in baseball. Pedro León has been productive in Triple-A Sugar Land. In eight games in June, Houston Astros outfield prospect Pedro León has at least a hit in seven of those games and has multi-hit efforts in two. León has two homers and four RBI in the month. The Cuban has shown off plus power all year with 12 homers and 55 RBI in 58 games at Triple-A. The strikeouts are a bit of a concern (he has 12 strikeouts in June and has yet to draw a walk this month). The No. 26 prospect in the Astros system, León has put together a nice season at Sugar Land and could be knocking on the door for a chance to help Houston at the big-league level. The power potential alone could make him a helpful waiver wire add if he does get the call, and if he can improve the plate discipline a bit, he could be a great asset for the Astros at some point this season. Víctor Mesa Jr. continues with a good year in Triple-A. Miami Marlins outfield prospect Víctor Mesa Jr. has been putting together a strong season for Triple-A Jacksonville thus far. Over his first 53 games for Jacksonville, Mesa has hit .273 with 10 homers, 37 RBI and four stolen bases to go along with an .811 OPS. The 22-year-old has continued to show that his power game is legit after going yard for 18 homers in 2023 for Double-A Pensacola. Mesa swings the bat from the left side and is good at spreading the ball all across the field with his quick bat speed. Although he could use better plate discipline, Mesa is looking prepared for the next step and that could come this season with the Marlins likely to entertain offers on their current outfielders.

Cuban Players News for the 2024 Major League Baseball season. A compilation of several sources Luis Robert belts homer in loss. Robert went 1-for-4 with a two-run home run and a walk Monday in a loss to the Mariners. Robert broke a scoreless tie in the sixth inning with a two-run blast to left field. It was his third homer in six games since returning June 4 from a nearly two-month absence due to a hip injury. Robert has only one hit aside from the trio of long balls since his return, and he's batting just .167 (4-for-24) during that span. Dairon Blanco adds steal Monday. Blanco went 1-for-3 with a stolen base and a run scored in Monday's 4-2 loss to the Yankees. Blanco got the start in left field but moved over to right when Hunter Renfroe left the game with a broken toe. With Renfroe likely for the injured list, Blanco could get first dibs on a starting role moving forward, though it's also possible the Royals call up Drew Waters from Triple-A Omaha since there is a chance for steady playing time. Blanco has done well in limited action this season with a .259/.323/.362 slash line and 14 steals over 66 plate appearances as a fourth outfielder. However, he's gone just 3-for-17 over his last 11 contests and would likely struggle to hit consistently in an everyday role. Second hold for Adrián Morejón. Padres' 6-1 victory over the A's featured Morejón's action. He recorded two outs with a walk in the seventh inning before being replaced. He recorded two strikeouts, raising his total to 32. As a result, he was able to obtain his second hold of 2024. It is an excellent campaign for Morejón, as he has a 1-1 record in 18 games, a 2.08 ERA, and a 32/7 SO/BB ratio. Yordan Alvarez with his first triple of 2024, Abreu hitless. In Houston's 4-3 loss to San Francisco in 10 innings, Yordan Alvarez hit his first triple of 2024. It was Alvarez's only hit in the game, as he went 1-for-5 with a run scored and a strikeout. It has been another excellent season for Yordan, who has gone .356/.424/.678 in his last 15 games, with four home runs, 11 RBIs, and 11 runs scored. As for José Abreu, he was unable to maintain his pace as he went 0-for-4 with a strikeout in a continuation of a disastrous season. In 2024, he has an anemic slash line of .127/.171/.200 with 2 home runs and 7 RBIs. He hasn't been downgraded again since most of his offense has come in his last 15 games, where he has two home runs and six RBIs despite a terrible .188/.204/.333 offensive line. Yariel Rodríguez will have next rehab start today. Rodríguez is scheduled to make another rehab start today with Triple-A Buffalo, MLB.com reported. Rodríguez is closing in on a return from the 15-day injured list after the Blue Jays deactivated him April 30 due to thoracic spine inflammation. The Blue Jays appear to be prepping for Rodríguez to take on a starting role upon his return from the IL -- or are at least keeping him available as a rotation option -- as MLB.com notes that the organization wants him to push his pitch count up to 75 before he's activated. In his most recent rehab start with Buffalo last Wednesday, Rodríguez tossed 43 pitches over three shutout innings, then tossed 15 more pitches in a bullpen session immediately upon leaving the game. If he's able to add around 15 more pitches to his workload Tuesday, Rodríguez could get the green light to rejoin the big club as soon as the upcoming weekend. Should the Blue Jays choose to include Rodríguez in their rotation, he would likely unseat Bowden Francis as the No. 5 starter, though even in that scenario, Toronto could deploy the two pitchers as a piggyback tandem like it did earlier in the season. A strong hold by Yennier Cano. In Monday's 5-2 win over Tampa, Cano picked up his 16th hold. The 8th inning saw him strike out two. In addition, he walked one batter. The 30-year-old was called upon to protect a three-run lead Monday and besides his walk he was dominant, getting Yandy Díaz to strike out in five pitches, then retiring Randy Arozarena in a groundball to second in also five pitches, and after walking Brandon Lowe, he struck out Isaac Paredes in 6 pitches to end the inning. In his last seven games, Cano has not surrendered a run, completing 7 scoreless innings with 4 walks, only two hits, and 8 strikeouts. In the year the right-hander has, however, converted two of his five save opportunities. Oscar Colás did not start Monday. Colás did not start for the White Sox's series opener against the Mariners on Monday. Colás began Monday's game in the dugout after starting in each of the last three games. He went 3-for-11 with two RBI in the four-game series against the Red Sox. He entered the game as a pinch hitter and went 1-for-1.

What is the status of Cuban baseball after the weekend? In addition to bringing news, the question also kept the epilogue of the regular calendar in suspense. Following Granma's seven consecutive victories, the team is classified second after its five-game series victory over Isla de la Juventud. To celebrate its victory, Las Tunas has to win just one of 13 remaining games. The score is one more victory for Santiago de Cuba and Guantánamo, Artemisa and Villa Clara falling once, or winning two of the eight they are missing to be in the final eight. Industriales and Ciego de Ávila, both with four wins, have a sure shot at reaching the postseason, regardless of other results. Likewise, they qualify if they win two and Guantánamo, Artemisa, and Villa Clara lose two. Matanzas would need to win three games while Indios, Cazadores, and Azucareros would have to lose three. Five consecutive wins and eight consecutive victories in the last ten games are not enough to separate Sancti Spiritus from Guantánamo, Artemisa, and Villa Clara. All calculations are based on Villa Clara winning the postponed game, which Mayabeque is winning, 4-1, in the fifth inning. It is important to note that the weekend did not provide us with the most suggestive aspect of what will take place on Tuesday. The two teams with most victories this year, Pinar del Río and Granma, will meet at the Capitán San Luis Stadium in Pinar del Río. Are the results of that contest going to determine the first place in qualification? It's possible, but not certain. As of now, Las Tunas has 13 games remaining, which would give them a combined win total of 53, while Vegueros and Alazanes would reach 52 and 51, respectively, unless they lose in the remaining eight games. Granma's last three games are against Las Tunas, which could also influence the outcome. Only two sleep peacefully, while nine, or ten, because Mayabeque is not ruled out yet, don't leave one nightmare to enter another.

Cuban Players News for the 2024 Major League Baseball season. A compilation of several sources Lourdes Gurriel Jr. went 2-for-5 with a double and a pair of RBI on Sunday as the Diamondbacks throttled the Padres in San Diego. The 30-year-old outfielder smacked a two-run double off of Adam Mazur in the second inning and rode home on Jake McCarthy’s two-run blast. He also singled in the fourth inning and raced around to score on a two-out RBI single by Eugenio Suarez. With his two-hit attack, Gurriel is now hitting .247/.287/.405 with nine homers, 39 RBI and three swipes on the season. Randy Arozarena went 2-for-4 with an RBI in a loss to Baltimore on Sunday. The two hits are nice, and Arozarena now has five hits in his last six games; however, the 29-year-old had three batted balls on the day and none of them were hit harder than 85 mph. On the positive side, Arozarena is now 8-for-22 in June and is pulling the ball and hitting it on the line more while striking out just 11 percent of the time. He seems to be trading some power for contact and considering he’s still on pace to steal 20 or more bases, raising his batting average and increasing his stolen base opportunities would be welcome, even if it does come at the expense of some power. Against the Yankees, Andy Pagés gets a hit. Andy Pagés went 1-for-3 with a walk, a run scored, and a strikeout in a 6-4 loss to the Yankees. This hit left his offensive line in June hitting .360/.500/.520 with a HR and two RBIs. It's good news for the Cuban centerfielder, who hit only .214/.243/.327 in May despite three HRs and nine RBIs. A multi-hit game from José Abreu. Abreu went 2-for-4 with a double, one RBI, and two runs scored in a 9-7 loss to the Angels. It was his first multi-hit game since April 27. It appears that Abreu is going to improve his numbers from previous months in June, with already five hits, 12 TB, two HRs, and three RBIs. Another scoreless inning from Aroldis Chapman. In the Pirates' 11-5 loss to the Twins, Chapman pitched. In the ninth inning, he allowed one hit with no strikeouts or walks. He used 13 pitches, 8 of which were strikes. It was Chapman's second consecutive outing without allowing a run and his fourth in June, where his ERA is 2.25 and SO/BB ratio is 6/1. Raisel Iglesias saw action on Sunday. It was an 8-5 loss to the Nationals in which closer Raisel Iglesias worked the eighth inning without a save situation. It was rather for the purpose of working on his arm after three days of not seeing action. As a result, Iglesias remains a reliable source for the Braves, converting 16 of their 18 save opportunities while posting a 2.22 ERA and allowing just one HR in 24 1/3 innings. The sixth hold of the year for Cionel Pérez. Cionel appeared in the Orioles' 9-2 win over the Rays on Sunday. In his sixth hold of the season, he pitched a perfect seventh inning with a strikeout. As a middle reliever, Cionel has held six save opportunities, converting his one save chance. As of today, he maintains a 3.78 ERA with 17 strikeouts in 16 2/3 innings. Yasmani Grandal received Sunday off. Grandal was out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Twins, Andrew Destin of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported. Grandal started the first two games of the series but sat for the finale after going 0-for-6 with a walk and a strikeout. He entered the game as a pinch hitter and went 0-for-1. Jorge Soler took seat Sunday. Soler was out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Rangers, Maria I. Guardado of MLB.com reported. Soler started the previous six games and headed to the bench Sunday after he posted a .667 OPS during that stretch.

Cuban Players News for the 2024 Major League Baseball season. A compilation of several sources Yordan Alvarez went 3-for-4 with a two-run homer on Saturday, leading the Astros to a 6-1 victory over the Angels. Alvarez went 3-for-4 with a two-run home run, two doubles and two total runs scored in Saturday's 6-1 win over the Angels. Alvarez is seeing the ball well lately, going 19-for-43 (.442) with four homers, five doubles, 11 RBI and just three strikeouts over his last 11 contests. He's even chipped in a pair of stolen bases in that span. Alvarez is up to 13 homers, 33 RBI, 37 runs scored, 15 doubles and three steals while slashing .296/.369/.514 over 64 contests. His underlying metrics are near perfect, with a 12.7% barrel rate, 93.2 mph average exit velocity, and 47.8% hard-hit rate, which place him significantly above the average hitter. His spot in the lineup is virtually never in question, but he's picked up more time in left field recently with Chas McCormick sliding over to right to cover for the absence of Kyle Tucker. Nestor Cortés gave up four runs while working 5 1/3 innings in a loss Saturday to the Dodgers. Cortés gave up a pair of solo homers among the seven total hits Los Angeles tallied against him, and the four runs he yielded tied a season-high mark. The lefty hurler did at least manage to keep New York within striking range -- though the game ended in a blowout, most of the Dodgers' damage came after Cortes' departure. Cortés is hanging onto a respectable 3.68 ERA on the season, though his current 8.7 K/9 is on pace for his lowest mark since a four-appearance cup of coffee as a rookie in 2018. He’s scheduled to face the Royals on Thursday. Yandy Díaz went 2-for-4 against the Orioles on Saturday. It was a quiet afternoon for the Rays as they were shutout. Díaz had the only two hits for Tampa Bay. After winning the batting title in the American League last year, he’s hitting just .245 so far this season. Diaz’ .273 BABIP this year is well below his .320 career BABIP. That doesn’t explain his lack of power this year as his .105 ISO is way down from his .192 ISO last season. Dairon Blanco collects 13th steal. Blanco stole a base and scored one run in Saturday's 8-4 win over the Mariners. Blanco got his first game action since June 2 and did what he does best: make an impact with speed. The steal was his second in his last three games, but he's not seeing much playing time even with the Royals getting anemic batting lines from their regular outfielders. For the season, Blanco has 13 thefts to go with one home run, four RBI, 17 runs scored and a .255/.323/.364 slash line over 63 plate appearances. Braves recalled RHP Daysbel Hernández from Triple-A Gwinnett on Saturday but was optioned to Triple-A Sunday. Hernández rejoined Atlanta’s bullpen mix with Jimmy Herget landing on the injured list ahead of Saturday’s showdown against the Nationals. He pitched one inning allowing a hit, a walk and with two strikeouts. However, early Sunday he was sent back to Triple-A Gwinnett. The 27-year-old righty has appeared in three games during 2024, throwing three scoreless innings while striking out three batters and walking two. He boasts a 2.29 ERA in 19.2 frames at Triple-A. Gurriel Jr. extends his hitting streak. Gurriel went 2-for-4 in Saturday's 13-1 loss to the Padres. Gurriel has hit safely in ten of his last 12 games, going 12-for-41 (.293) with three homers in that span. He played left field as a starter on Saturday. The outfielder has 37 RBI, 29 runs scored, three stolen bases and a .244/.285/.401 slash line over 256 plate appearances. José Abreu hitless once again. To be honest, Abreu has no place on Houston's roster right now, but the question is what to do with him? In the 6-1 victory over the Angels, Abreu went 0 for 4 with a strikeout. His offensive line for June is .143/.182/.429. He has two home runs and two RBIs. Those are not the numbers of an MLB player of his caliber. Because he hasn't shown much change after his time in the minors, Houston may decide about him before the end of the season. Luis Robert Jr. was not in the lineup for Saturday’s game against the Red Sox. It was a routine maintenance day for Robert, who has started four consecutive games for the White Sox since returning earlier this week from a lengthy stay on the injured list. There’s no reason for Chicago to push it from a health standpoint following an extended layoff, so it wouldn’t be surprising to see Robert get some extra days off over the next few weeks to keep him fresh.

Cuban Players News for the 2024 Major League Baseball season. A compilation of several sources Yordan Alvarez went 2-for-4 with a three-run double and a walk versus the Angels in Friday’s win. Alvarez is 10-for-23 with three homers and nine RBI in six games this month, raising his OPS from .792 to .851. It’d be a big surprise if he’s not one of the AL’s best hitters the rest of the way. Diamondbacks' Lourdes Gurriel: Lifts ninth homer. Gurriel went 1-for-2 with a solo home run in Friday's 10-3 loss to the Padres. Gurriel has hit safely in nine of his last 11 games, going 10-for-37 (.270) with three homers in that span. He didn't start Friday, but he entered as a pinch hitter in the seventh inning and delivered with his ninth long ball of the campaign. The outfielder has added 37 RBI, 29 runs scored, three stolen bases and a .239/.282/.399 slash line over 252 plate appearances. José Abreu hit his second homer Friday off the Angels’ Roansy Contreras. Abreu went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Friday's 7-1 win over the Angels. Abreu is definitely swinging the bat better now than he was before he was sent to the minors, but that bar is so low it might as well be underground. Both of his homers have come since his return, a period that’s seen him go 5-for-27 with an 8/1 K/BB. He's slashing .122/.171/.194 with two homers, six RBI and eight runs scored over 105 plate appearances in 2024. We’re still pretty skeptical that he belongs in the majors at this point. White Sox's Luis Robert: Pops fourth homer. Robert went 1-for-4 with a solo home run Friday against the Red Sox. Robert did his damage in the opening inning to tally his fourth home run of the season and second in four games since returning from the injured list. Manager Pedro Grifol suggested that Robert would require regular rest days, though he has started every matchup since being activated and has gone a combined 3-for-16 with eight strikeouts. J.P. Martínez made his first start of season. Martínez batted ninth and played right field Friday against the Nationals in a 2-1 loss. Martínez made his first start since being called up from Triple-A Gwinnett on May 27. He went 1-for-3 adding a double in the first inning and also a strikeout in the seventh. White Sox's Oscar Colás: Drives in pair. Colás went 1-for-3 with two RBI on Friday against the Red Sox. Colás started for the third time in five games since being recalled from Triple-A Charlotte on Sunday -- trading off starts with Gavin Sheets in right field. Colás drove in his second and third runs of the season with a single in the fourth frame. There's not much to take away from a limited sample of 15 plate appearances since he rejoined the White Sox, though Colás has struck out only three times in that span. Mariners OF prospect Lázaro Montes went 3-for-4 with two homers and three RBI on Friday for Low-A Modesto. Montes leads the minors with 62 RBI following Friday’s two-run blast -- his 11th round-tripper of the year. The 19-year-old prodigy holds an astronomical .337/.432/.561 triple-slash line across 248 plate appearances this season and is rapidly morphing into on the the top prospects in the entire league.

Cuban Players News for the 2024 Major League Baseball season. A compilation of several sources Luis Robert Jr. went 2-for-4 with a home run in Tuesday’s loss to the Cubs. After watching the White Sox’s bullpen give away a 5-1 lead in the sixth inning, Robert smacked a 463-foot homer to left-center to put the White Sox back on top 6-5. It was the third home run of the season for Robert, who was activated off the 10-day injured list earlier in the day after missing almost two months with a hip injury. Robert is slashing .250/.273/.594 in just 32 at-bats this season and has five RBI and a stolen base to go with his three homers. On Tuesday, Jorge Soler went hitless. Gurriel Jr. with two RBIs. Soler started as a DH and went 0-for-4 with one RBI in Tuesday's 8-5 loss to the D-backs. The Giants acquired Soler in search of more power in the middle of the lineup alongside Matt Chapman and Michael Conforto, but so far he has not lived up to expectations.  His 16 extra-base hits in 50 games with only 6 home runs and 17 RBI are poor marks for a man who had a rebirth with Miami in 2023, producing 75 RBIs and 36 home runs. During the same game, Lourdes Gurriel Jr. went 1-for-4 with a strikeout, two RBIs, and a run scored. In 56 games, he has 35 RBIs and 28 runs. His hitting streak stands at seven games. Twice Randy Arozarena is plunked. Yandy Díaz with two hits. As part of his five-base performance against the Marlins, Randy Arozarena walked twice, was hit by a pitch twice and singled once. Arozarena was hit on the helmet by a 93 mph fastball from Marlins reliever Huascar Brazoban in the sixth inning. Arozarena walked to first base and after being examined by Rays medical staff, he continued to play. In the 8th inning, he was hit again. As of now, he is hitting .166/.278/.313 with eight home runs and 19 RBIs. During the same game, Yandy Díaz went 2-for-5. In addition to striking out, he scored a run. While Yandy is far from his peak, he has rebounded in his last 15 games with 12 hits, one home run, 6 RBIs, and 9 walks. Yordan Alvarez with another multihit game. Abreu adds one hit. Yordan tuvo su tercer juego multihit del mes de junio en la noche del martes durante la victoria de Houston 8-5 sobre St. Louis, Yordan went 2-for-4 with a run scored and an RBI. It was Alvarez's 28 RBI of the year while he is having un inicio del mes de junio fenomenal mostrando un slash line de .533/.588/1.200 with 3 HRs and 6 RBIs. The Astros' José Abreu went 1-for-4 while batting eighth during the same game. With four hits, a home run, two RBIs, and an offensive line of .200/.238/.350 in his last seven games, he has shown slight improvement. José Iglesias extends his hitting streak to four games. The Mets beat the Nationals 6-3 on Tuesday night, with José Iglesias going 1-for-4 with a strikeout. After being called up to the Majors, the 34-year-old veteran has hit in each of his four games. In 15 plate appearances, he has a slash line of .400/.400/.467 with two RBIs. Aroldis Chapman with a clean inning and a funny incident. Chapman pitched the eighth inning in the Pirates' 1-0 victory over the Dodgers. Chapman threw one inning of one hit, a walk, and two strikeouts. A funny moment was when he faced Teoscar Hernández during his outing. On the first pitch, Hernández popped a deep fly ball into center field. After the ball flew, Aroldis slammed his glove to the ground, believing he had blown the save. Pittsburgh and Chapman were fortunate that the ball only reached the warning track, where center fielder Jack Suwinsky tracked it to the plate for the second out. Andrew McCutchen poked fun at Chaman in the dugout after the inning ended, mimicking his glove-slamming incident. Andy Pagés on bench Tuesday. Pagés was out of the lineup for Tuesday's game against Pittsburgh. Pagés got the day off after making seven consecutive starts in center field. In a 1-0 loss to the Pirates, he entered the game as a pinch hitter and was 0-for-1 with a strikeout. Yasmani Grandal was idle Tuesday. Grandal was out of the lineup for Tuesday's game against the Dodgers. Grandal hasn't generated multiple hits in a game since May 17 and has two hits in his last 20 at-bats.