Cuban Players News for the 2024 Major League Baseball season. A compilation of several sources Yordan Alvarez went 2-for-3 with two runs scored, a walk and a two-run home run against the Cardinals on Monday. The home run was Alvarez’ 12th of the season. He took Kyle Gibson deep in the third inning to put the Astros on the board and later scored on an RBI single by Jake Meyers. The homer was Alvarez's third in as many games, and he now has four multi-hit efforts in his past seven contests. While 27 RBI through 260 plate appearances is lower than expected, Alvarez is slashing .287/.362/.496 with 12 home runs and a career-high three stolen bases. Alvarez’ 143 wRC+ this year is good, but it’s still below the 170 wRC+ he had last year and his career 162 wRC+. Jose Abreu was absent from the starting lineup Monday. Abreu was out of the lineup for Monday's contest against the Cardinals. Abreu has now started five of eight games since rejoining the Astros' active roster, going 3-for-15 with one home run. He ceded his spot in the lineup Monday to Jon Singleton. Abreu was brought on as a pinch hitter in the eighth inning with the game 4-3 and the tying run at second base. However, he struck out on three pitches. Yariel Rodriguez next rehab outing coming Wednesday. Rodriguez is slated to make his next rehab appearance Wednesday for Triple-A Buffalo as a reliever, Shi Davidi of Sportsnet.ca reported. Though Rodriguez has started in each of his last three rehab outings, the Blue Jays want to have the right-hander get comfortable with working out of the bullpen in case he ends up being deployed in that capacity upon returning from the 15-day injured list. Even while he's set to come on in relief Wednesday, Rodriguez is still expected to increase his workload, as he's being targeted for around 55 pitches. If all goes well Wednesday, Rodriguez could make his next appearance with the Blue Jays, potentially as a replacement in the rotation for the injured Alek Manoah (elbow). Bowden Francis (forearm) also appears on track to return from the IL in the near future, and he and Rodriguez could end up forming a tandem for the fifth spot in the rotation if the Blue Jays don't want to commit to either as a traditional starter. Yennier Cano records his fourteenth hold of the year. The Orioles defeated the Blue Jays 7-2, with Cano scoring his 14th hold of the season. In 1 1/3 perfect innings, Cano did not strike out a batter, but he did not walk one either. In his work, he needed 13 pitches, 8 of which were strikes. This year, he has a 3-2 record with 14 holds, 2 saves, and a 23/11 SO/BB ratio in 27 innings. Lourdes Gurriel Jr. hit his 100th career homer Monday against the Giants. Gurriel went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Monday's 4-2 win over San Francisco. Gurriel led off the second inning with a home run, his eighth of the season and 100 of his MLB career, to give Arizona an early lead. Gurriel entered June in the midst of a six-week slump, but he’s now homered in back-to-back games to start the month. The outfielder has a modest six-game hit streak, going 6-for-24 during that stretch. José Iglesias collects three hits Monday. New York Mets middle infielder José Iglesias had a nice day at the plate in Monday's 8-7 win over the Nationals. Iglesias went 3-for-4 with three singles, an RBI, and a stolen base. The 34-year-old veteran was called up from Triple-A Syracuse last Friday and has gone 5-for-11 while playing at both second base and shortstop. Iglesias has been a useful player at times throughout his career and put together a respectable .273/.309/.442 slash line in 175 plate appearances with Syracuse before getting called up. He may be able to earn playing time if he continues to hit well, given the Mets' struggles.

Cuban Players News for the 2024 Major League Baseball season. A compilation of several sources Néstor Cortés struggled in a no-decision against the Giants on Sunday afternoon, giving up three runs on seven hits over his 4 1/3 innings of work. On the plus side, Cortés did manage to record seven punchouts in the ballgame and didn’t walk a batter. Most of the damage done against him came via the long ball, with Heliot Ramos launching a solo homer in the third inning and Casey Schmitt following suit in the fourth. Cortés got 10 swings and misses on 95 pitches in the contest, while posting a CSW of 27 percent. He’ll tote a 3.46 ERA, 1.09 WHIP and a 74/15 K/BB ratio (75 1/3 innings) into Saturday’s showdown against the Dodgers. Adolis García went 2-for-5 with a home run and two RBI in a win over the Marlins on Sunday. García took a sixth-inning offering from Trevor Rogers and hit it 395 feet at 108.2 mph for his 13th home run on the season. He also added an RBI earlier in the game and now has 40 RBI on the year, which has helped prop up a disappointing .231/.285/.462 slash line. As a free-swinger, García has always seemed at risk for batting average regression, and it’s possible he won’t match last year’s .245 batting average, but the power remains a true asset. Raisel Iglesias pitched a clean ninth inning on Sunday against the Athletics to earn the save. Iglesias grabbed another save, but once again did not strike a batter out. His 18.6 K% entering play Sunday is by far the lowest for any reliever with at least 10 saves and should give some concern moving forward. He needed only nine pitches to record his 15th save of the season in Sunday's 3-1 win over the Oakland A's. Iglesias rebounded after allowing an earned run on Friday, only the third earned run he allowed in May. Though he has just 16 strikeouts in his 22 1/3 innings, Iglesias' 2.42 ERA and 0.99 WHIP assure that he will continue to be a reliable source of saves as the Braves look to chase down the Phillies in the National League East. Jorge Soler was back in lineup Sunday. Jorge Soler was back in the lineup for the San Francisco Giants against the New York Yankees Sunday. Soler returned to the lineup after sitting out for rest reasons Saturday night, occupying the designated hitter spot and batting fifth against the Yankees. He went 3-for-4 with a double and two runs scored. The game marked his first multiple-hit game since May 22. Despite a terrible month of May, where he hit .164/.224/.262, had one HR and eight RBIs, Soler has started June differently, hitting 4-for-6 with two doubles in two games. Gurriel Jr. hits his seventh home run. In a 5-4 win over the Mets, Gurriel Jr. hit against lefty José Quintana his seventh home run of the year. It was Gurriel's only hit in the game, as he went 1-for-5 with one run scored and two strikeouts. In hitting his home run, Gurriel broke a streak of nine games without hitting one, with his last HR dating back to May 20. On the year, Gurriel has 32 RBIs while slashing .235/.275/.376. Oscar Colás was in the White Sox's lineup Sunday. Oscar Colás started for the White Sox on Sunday. He was recalled from Triple-A Sunday and started in right field against the Brewers. Before Sunday, he had only one at-bat with the White Sox this year. Unfortunately, it was not the return Colás was hoping for. He went 0-for-4 with two strikeouts and remains hitless this season. Dairon Blanco was out of the lineup Sunday. Dairon Blanco was out of the starting lineup for the Royals Sunday. Blanco returned to the bench after an 0-for-2 night Saturday. After entering as a pinch runner in the ninth inning, he scored the run that tied the game at 3-3. It ended up being a 4-3 victory for the Royals. Yasmani Grandal was out of the Pirates lineup Sunday. Yasmani Grandal was out of the starting lineup for the Pirates Sunday. Grandal got the day off for rest reasons. Despite entering the game as a pinch hitter, he went 0-for-1 in the Blue Jays' 5-4 loss. Aledmys Díaz was out of the lineup Sunday. Aledmys Díaz was out of the starting lineup for the A’s Sunday. Díaz returned to the bench after a 1-for-3 night in a win over the Braves on Saturday.

Cuban Players News for the 2024 Major League Baseball season. A compilation of several sources Yordan Alvarez went 3-for-3 with two homers and three RBI in a 5-2 win Saturday over the Twins for the Astros. Alvarez also drew a walk. The 26-year-old slugger took Joe Ryan deep with a runner on in the first, and did more damage against Ryan with a solo shot in the fifth. That ups Alvarez’s total to 11 roundtrippers on the year, and he’s plated 25 over the first 59 games of the season for the Astros. Alvarez has hit safely in 13 of his past 14 games and is batting .377 (20-for-53) during that stretch, though he had only two RBI during that span before Saturday. Alvarez has been as good as any hitter in baseball the last few years, and it’s the only reason why those numbers and a .283/.357/.480 slash seem slightly disappointing. Andy Pagés went 3-for-4 with a pair of runs scored on Saturday, propelling the Dodgers to a 4-1 victory over the Rockies. It was a much-needed strong performance for Pagés, who has three multi-hit efforts over his last four contests after going just 3-for-29 over his previous seven contests. The 23-year-old rookie outfielder has held his own at the highest level since a mid-April promotion from Triple-A Oklahoma City and looks like he’s going to stick around moving forward. He is starting to get things figured out in the majors with three multi-hit efforts over his last four games. That surge has gotten the rookie outfielder back up to a .257 batting average, though his .685 OPS on the year remains middling. He's added five home runs, 17 RBI, 24 runs scored and a stolen base over 40 contests. Pagés continues to see a starting role in center field. José Abreu hit first homer of season. Abreu went 1-for-3 with a solo home run in Saturday's 5-2 win against the Twins. Abreu took Minnesota starter Joe Ryan deep in the second inning for his first long ball of the campaign. It's been a rough season for the veteran first baseman, as he's slashing a meager .119/.167/.167 through 90 plate appearances. Abreu has been a bit better since returning to the big club May 27 following a demotion to the minors, going 3-for-13 (albeit with six strikeouts) over five games. Yandy Díaz went 1-for-4 with a triple and three RBI against the Orioles on Saturday. Díaz brought two runs in to score with a line drive off the right field wall as he legged out a triple in the second inning. He was credited with a third RBI after drawing a bases-loaded walk in the third. The 32-year-old first baseman is slashing .243/.320/.350 with four homers and 28 RBI across 253 plate appearances. Dairon Blanco picks up steal in loss. Blanco went 0-for-2 with a walk, a stolen base and one run scored in Saturday's 7-3 loss to the Padres. Blanco briefly looked to be claiming a larger role in mid-May, but he's since returned to his usual status as a fourth outfielder. His steal Saturday was his first since May 13, giving him 12 thefts on the year. He's added a decent .255/.323/.364 slash line with one home run, four RBI, 15 runs scored and three doubles over 63 plate appearances. Blanco's last two starts have come against right-handed pitchers, but it appears that's more to give Kyle Isbel regular rest than it is a sign of Blanco earning a larger role. Jorge Soler was not in the Giants’ starting lineup for Saturday night’s battle against the Yankees. It was no more than a regular day of rest and maintenance for the 32-year-old slugger. Soler was hitless in his last 14 at-bats with four strikeouts and got a day off Saturday to regroup. He entered the game as a pinch hitter and went 1-for-2 with a double. Lourdes Gurriel Jr. was scratched from Saturday’s lineup. The veteran outfielder was scratched from Saturday's lineup due to flu-like symptoms, but he will be back in the starting nine for Sunday's series finale in Queens. Gurriel had a rough time at the plate in May and finished the month with a .213/.245/.287 slash line in 25 games. Colás was called up to the White Sox on Saturday, Daryl Van Schouwen of the Chicago Sun-Times reported. Colás' call-up comes after Andrew Benintendi (Achilles) and Andrew Vaughn (finger) sustained in-game injuries Saturday, making it likely that at least one of the two will require a stint on the IL. Colás owned a .571 OPS in 263 plate appearances with Chicago last season and is slashing .244/.358/.406 with five home runs at Triple-A Charlotte this year.

Cuban Players News for the 2024 Major League Baseball season. A compilation of several sources Raisel Iglesias picked up his 14th save despite giving up a run in the ninth Friday against the A’s. Iglesias allowed a run in the ninth inning while picking up a save against Oakland on Friday. Iglesias notched his 14th save of the year with a fascinating outing. He gave up a leadoff double to Zack Gelof before recording three outs on three consecutive pitches. Gelof would come in to score after two straight groundouts but Atlanta secured the 4-2 win. Iglesias has converted six straight save chances and owns a 2.53 ERA through 21.1 innings. He’s 14-for-16 saving games this season. Adolis García went 0-for-4 as the Rangers’ cleanup man Friday against the Marlins. This has turned into quite a slump for García; he’s batting .164 in 110 at-bats since Apr. 25. The Rangers still don’t have much reason to drop him out of the cleanup spot, since most of the hitters behind him are struggling, too. His first four weeks were so strong that he’s still hitting a reasonable .232/.289/.457 for the season. Cionel Pérez snags win Friday. Pérez (1-0) pitched a perfect inning with one strikeout to earn the win Friday over the Rays. Pérez kept the deficit from growing beyond 1-0, and the Orioles rallied in the bottom of the sixth inning to give him the win. He hasn't earned a hold in any of his last eight appearances, but he has a save and a win in that span. The southpaw isn't a usual part of the high-leverage mix, but he's filled in there on occasion in 2024. He's at a 4.61 ERA, 1.24 WHIP and 12:6 K:BB through 13.2 innings as a middle reliever this season. Andy Ibáñez was a late addition to Friday's lineup. Ibáñez started at second base and batted seventh against the Red Sox on Friday. Ibáñez was initially slated to sit Friday, but he was inserted into the lineup after Mark Canha was scratched due to left hip soreness. He went 0-for-4 with a strikeout. Randy Arozarena was absent from the Rays’ starting lineup for Friday night’s battle against the Orioles. The 29-year-old outfielder’s struggles have been well documented this season, as he’s hitting a mere .159/.258/.313 with eight homers, 19 RBI and a 66/25 K/BB ratio over 229 plate appearances. Jonny DeLuca started in his place in left field but Arozarena entered the game as a pinch hitter and went 0-for-1. Mets selected the contract of SS José Iglesias from Triple-A Syracuse. Iglesias was hitting .273 with seven home runs in 42 games with Syracuse. He’s taking the spot of Brett Baty, who was optioned to Triple-A. Iglesias will serve as infield depth for New York. Yariel Rodríguez allowed one run over two innings on Friday in a minor league rehab start for Triple-A Buffalo. Rodríguez allowed two hits, issued one walk and also notched one strikeout, needing 43 pitches (25 strikes) to complete two frames. The 27-year-old righty has made a couple rehab appearances so far as he works his way back to Toronto and figures to operate in a multi-inning relief role upon returning. Luis Robert Jr. went 0-for-5 with two strikeouts on Friday in a minor league rehab contest for Triple-A Charlotte. Robert has gone 1-for-12 with a home run in three games for Triple-A Charlotte on his rehab assignment. There’s optimism that he’ll be ready to return early next week, but he’s going to get a couple more minor-league games under his belt this weekend to continue knocking off the rust. Mariners OF prospect Lázaro Montes went 2-for-5 with a two-run homer on Friday for Low-A Modesto. Montes has homered twice in his last three contests and currently leads the minors with 56 RBI on the season. He’s up to nine round-trippers and one steal already. The 19-year-old burgeoning slugger is walking nearly as many times as he’s striking out at the moment and should get a look in the upper minors at some point in the coming months, if not sooner. Rockies OF prospect Yanquiel Fernández went 4-for-4 with a pair of runs scored on Friday for Double-A Hartford. Fernández racked up a season-high four hits, including a triple, to raise his OPS to .736 on the young season. The 21-year-old outfielder possesses enough over-the-fence pop, as evidenced by a 25-homer campaign last year in the lower minors, to potentially make an impact especially if he winds up getting to play at Coors Field. He’s arguably a top-25 range outfield prospect at the moment.

Cuban Players News for the 2024 Major League Baseball season. A compilation of several sources Randy Arozarena batted second for Tampa Bay against the Athletics on Thursday. Yandy Díaz was the leadoff. With a left-hander on the mound, the Rays deployed their right-hand heavy lineup, sending Richie Palacios, Brandon Lowe, and Jonathan Aranda to the bench. That allowed Yandy Díaz to lead off and Arozarena to move up to second in the order. In the game, Arozarena went 0-for-2 with two walks, a RBI with a sacrifice fly, and a run scored. The 29-year-old has been struggling for the entirety of the 2024 season, slashing only .159/.258/.313 with 8 homers and 19 RBIs, but perhaps hitting in front of the Rays’ middle-of-the-order bats will give him more good pitches to hit and lead to a solid performance. During the same game, Yandy Díaz went 0-for-3 with a strikeout and two walks. It has been a disappointing season for him too, hitting .242/.316/.342 with four home runs and 25 RBIs. White Sox optioned 3B Bryan Ramos to Triple-A Charlotte. Ramos was activated off the 10-day IL on Saturday but will now head back to the minors. The 22-year-old was hitting just .196/.208/.239 in 15 games in the big leagues. While it wasn’t a successful start, he figures to get another chance later in the season since the White Sox are not in contention and could get value out of seeing what their younger players are capable of. Yordan Alvarez with one hit Thursday. Alvarez went 1-for-4 in Thursday's 4-0 win against the Mariners. In the first inning, Alvarez doubled but was stranded after Jeremy Peña hit a line out to center field. The outfielder would not add another single in the game, after going back-to-back multi-hit games. Alvarez has posted 10 multi-hit games this month and has ten extra-base hits, slashing .273/.348/.449 with 9 homers and 22 RBIs this year. Despite a hit, José Abreu continues to struggle. In Houston's 4-0 win over Seattle on Thursday, Abreu had a hit. In the game, he went 1 for 4 with two strikeouts. The Cuban first baseman continues without a consistent offensive line and has stayed eighth in the lineup to avoid greater responsibilities. However, since his return, he has gone 2 for 10 with one RBI, five strikeouts, and one extra-base hit. Today, Lourdes Gurriel Jr. singled against the Mets. In the D-backs' 3-2 loss to the Mets, Gurriel Jr. went 1-for-4. Additionally, he was caught stealing. Since making his Major League debut in 2018, the Cuban outfielder has had his worst season. As of right now, he is hitting .237/.278/.370 over 52 games and 223 PAs, although he currently has 3 consecutive hit streaks, which could very well help him break out of his slump. Aledmys Díaz was hitless today. In his second game since returning to the Majors, Aledmys Díaz had a 0-for-3 night at first base for the A's as they lost 6-5 to the Rays. Additionally, he struck out. A's aim is to keep Díaz in the lineup, so he must find consistency in his swing after a long absence.

Cuban Players News for the 2024 Major League Baseball season. A compilation of several sources Miguel Vargas slugged a solo homer to lead the Dodgers to a 3-0 win in the second game of Tuesday’s doubleheader against the Mets. Dodgers manager Dave Roberts has been reluctant to give Vargas opportunities so far as he made just his third start in this one since being summoned back on May 17 from Triple-A Oklahoma City. He connected for his first round-tripper of the season when he took Mets starter José Quintana deep in the sixth inning. The 24-year-old should probably get a longer look in Los Angeles, but it doesn’t sound like that’s in the cards at the moment, unless he’s going to force them to keep his bat in the lineup. Raisel Iglesias threw a scoreless ninth inning to earn a save in a 2-0 win over the Nationals on Tuesday. Iglesias struck out two and didn’t allow a hit as he picked up his 13th save of the season. He doesn’t get the respect that other elite closers get, but Iglesias has been one of the most reliable options in the closing role for a while now. He has a 2.21 ERA on the season and figures to remain near the league-leaders in saves as the season goes on. Yandy Díaz hit second and played first base versus the Athletics on Tuesday. He went 1-for-4 in a 3-0 loss to the A's. Díaz has 235 plate appearances thus far in 2024, and 223 of those have come in the leadoff spot. He’s hit just .254 with a .686 from that spot, however, so Tampa Bay moved the 32-year-old down a spot in the lineup. He's batting .249/.315/.352 with four home runs, 25 RBI and 22 runs scored in 235 plate appearances. However, Díaz has been more himself this month, going 27-for-95 (.284) with three homers, five doubles and 14 RBI in 24 games. On Tuesday, José Abreu went hitless. Abreu went 0-for-3 with two strikeouts against the Mariners in a 4-2 loss. Since his MLB return, he has gone 1-for-6 with an RBI. Still, he doesn't appear to be the player Houston acquired from Chicago, but we'll have to wait a couple of weeks to see if he has recovered from his prolonged slump. With a .104/.157/.117 offensive line, two extra-base hits - a double - and four RBIs, Abreu has had one of the worst seasons in 2024. Rays released RHP Sandy Gastón. Gastón was signed for a $2.6 million bonus in the winter of 2019 as one of the top available international arms in that class. Things didn’t work out, to say the least, as he didn’t advance High-A and posted an ERA of 9.00 in 2024 with a 11/17 K/BB ratio over 11 innings prior to his release. Another team may find interest as organizational depth, but nothing he showed in the minors suggests he’ll ever have much relevance. Athletics reinstated INF Aledmys Díaz off the 60-day injured list. Díaz will have a chance to play after missing the first two months of the season with a calf strain. The 33-year-old returns for Oakland, and Tyler Nevin was designated for assignment to make room for him on the active and 40-man roster. Diaz has missed the first two months of the 2024 campaign after he sustained his injury in early March. He appeared in 10 games at Triple-A during his rehab assignment and slashed .154/.313/.308 with six walks and five strikeouts in 32 plate appearances. He figures to compete with Max Schuemann and Abraham Toro for work at shortstop and third base. There was no decision Tuesday for Néstor Cortés. Cortés was given no-decision in Tuesday's 4-3 loss to the Angels. He pitched 5 1/3 innings, allowing five hits, including a home run, and two RBIs. In all, he struck out four. In 12 games, he has a record of 3-4 with an ERA of 3.30. Lourdes Gurriel Jr. was not in the lineup Tuesday against the Rangers. Gurriel went just 1-for-10 in the three-game series against the Marlins. However, it was a routine day off for Gurriel, who entered the game as a pinch hitter and went 1-for-2. Gurriel is batting just .210/.247/.296 with one home run so far in May. Gurriel was a first-time All-Star in 2023 and got off to a hot start in 2024, but he's cooled off considerably over the past month, hitting .175 (18-for-103) with just one home run, five doubles, and seven RBI across his last 27 outings. He will rejoin Arizona's regular lineup for Wednesday's series finale against the Rangers and left-hander Andrew Heaney. The righty-hitting Gurriel is batting .323 with two homers, five doubles, and 10 RBI in 65 at-bats against left-handed pitching this year. Luis Robert Jr. belted a solo homer on Tuesday in a minor league rehab contest for Triple-A Charlotte. Robert made some noise right away in his first rehab contest at the Triple-A level with a towering blast in his first at-bat of the night. He finished 1-for-3 with a pair of runs scored. The 26-year-old star will likely get a couple more rehab games under his belt before returning to Chicago, but he’s not far away at this juncture. He’s been out since early April due to a Grade 2 hip flexor strain.

Cuban Players News for the 2024 Major League Baseball season. A compilation of several sources Astros' José Abreu: Back in the big leagues. Houston Astros first baseman José Abreu was recalled from Triple-A Sugar Land on Monday. He was back in the starting lineup at first base and batted eighth against the Seattle Mariners. Joey Loperfido was optioned back to Triple-A as a corresponding move. Although he started the game nervously and struck out, he ended up going 1-for-3 with a walk and an RBI in a 3-2 loss to the Mariners. Abreu was demoted to the minor leagues after a horrific start to the season that saw him slashing .099/.156/.113 through 22 games. The veteran slugger was also pretty dismal throughout the 2023 campaign, so a return to relevance seems unlikely at this point. Abreu will also have to battle Jon Singleton, who is starting at DH tonight, for regular playing time. As for Loperfido, the team's sixth-ranked prospect performed well in limited at-bats. He remains a player of interest. First victory for Adrián Morejón. Morejón continued his successful 2024 as a reliever for the Padres. He earned his first win of the year by pitching two scoreless innings with a walk and a strikeout against Miami. With an ERA of 2.08 in 14 games this season, he is now 8-3 in his MLB career. Currently, his SO/BB ratio is 28/5. The Orioles get out of trouble with a clean inning from Cionel Pérez. It was an excellent relief appearance by Cionel as he pitched a scoreless inning in an 11-3 win over the Red Sox. When Cionel came to pitch in the eighth inning, with a runner at third base, the Red Sox had already scored all their runs. First, he retired the first batter with a fly ball to left field and then struck out the next two to end the inning. In all, he threw 11 pitches, 8 of which were strikes. With his efforts, he lowered his ERA to 4.63 for the year. Umpire Ángel Hernández to Retire After Controversial Career. MLB umpire Ángel Hernández, known for his controversial calls and a lawsuit alleging discrimination, has announced his retirement after a career spanning over three decades. His last game was on May 9, and an official announcement is expected on Tuesday. Hernández expressed gratitude for the opportunity to live out his childhood dream and the camaraderie among his colleagues. His retirement has been met with widespread celebration and relief among fans, players, and commentators. Miguel Vargas was in the lineup Monday. Miguel Vargas was in the starting lineup for the Dodgers Monday but the game was postponed due to rain. Vargas was getting the start in left field and hitting seventh against the Mets. He is 1-for-7 since his call up from Triple-A. Braves recalled OF Julio Pablo Martínez from Triple-A Gwinnett. Martínez will take the spot on the active roster previously held by Ronald Acuña Jr., who is out for the year with a torn ACL. Martínez will likely be up as the fourth outfielder in Atlanta with Adam Duvall taking on a larger chunk of playing time. The 28-year-old Martínez is a good defender and has elite speed with 14 steals in 45 games at Triple-A this season and 38 games in 77 Triple-A games for the Rangers last year. Martínez has slashed .265/.337/.394 with three homers with Gwinnett this season. He can play all three outfield spots. Bryan Ramos was not in Chicago's Monday lineup. Ramos was not in the lineup for Monday's game versus the Blue Jays. Ramos returned from the injured list over the weekend but went 0-for-7 with four strikeouts at the plate. Ramos got the day off Monday to regroup, but entered the game as a pinch hitter and went 0-for-1. Andy Pagés was out of the lineup Monday. Andy Pagés was out of the starting lineup for the Dodgers Monday. Pagés will sit out the series opener with the Mets after starting in center field on Sunday. Pedro León showing serious power in Triple-A. Houston Astros outfield prospect Pedro León has shown tremendous offensive prowess in Triple-A Sugar Land to start the 2024 season. Through 47 games, he's slashing .290/.376/.546 with 15 doubles, 10 home runs, and 12 stolen bases. He also leads the minor leagues with 51 RBI. Currently ranked #27 on the Astros' list of top prospects, it's hard to imagine that he won't ascend the rankings soon. According to MLB.com, he's expected to make his big-league debut sometime this year. If he keeps producing at this rate, there's a chance it could come sooner rather than later.

Cuban Players News for the 2024 Major League Baseball season. A compilation of several sources Cionel Pérez tossed a scoreless ninth inning with one strikeout to record the save against the White Sox on Saturday. Baltimore Orioles reliever Cionel Pérez stepped up in a big way on Saturday, securing his first save of the season. Craig Kimbrel took a breather after registering saves in both prior games against the White Sox. This had the Orioles calling upon Pérez to protect a two-run lead thanks to a fireworks-filled eighth inning, which saw Baltimore score five runs. Against the bottom third of the lowly Chicago batting order, Pérez wasted no time, striking out one and needing only 10 pitches to close out Baltimore's third straight victory. The 28-year-old owns a 5.06 ERA, 1.50 WHIP, and 9:6 K: BB across 10 2/3 innings in 2024. José Abreu to rejoin Astros Monday. José Abreu will rejoin the Astros on Monday, according to Chandler Rome on Twitter. Abreu had been optioned down to the minors after a rough start to the season. He is flying to Seattle on Sunday with the Astros beginning a series against the Mariners on Monday. White Sox activated INF Bryan Ramos from the 10-day injured list. Ramos was back in Chicago’s lineup at third base following a minimum stay on the shelf recovering from a mild quad strain. In a 5-3 loss to the Orioles, he went 0-for-4 with a strikeout. The 22-year-old rookie has gotten off to a decent start, batting .250 (9-for-36) with a pair of RBI in 38 plate appearances over 10 contests. Yandy Díaz was not in the lineup for Saturday’s showdown against the Royals. Díaz hasn’t been able to replicate last year’s form that fueled a career-best 22 homer explosion, but the plate skills have remained relatively stable at their usual near-elite levels. The 32-year-old’s barrel percentage has slipped from 9.5 percent last year to a lackluster 4.6 mark this season, which has led to a steep drop off in power. He entered the game as a pinch hitter and went 0-for-2. Andy Pagés was not in the Dodgers’ starting lineup for Saturday’s showdown against the Reds. The 23-year-old rookie outfielder has been fighting it at the plate over his last 17 games — hitting a paltry .148/.197/.213 with one homer, four RBI and a 23/4 K/BB ratio over 66 plate appearances. Hopefully a day off to clear his head will help the cause. Randy Arozarena was not in the lineup for Saturday’s game against the Royals. There doesn’t seem to be a compelling explanation for Arozarena’s ongoing offensive struggles as he holds a calamitous .159/.250/.317 triple-slash line with eight homers and seven steals in 212 plate appearances over 50 games. The 29-year-old is striking out at bit more than usual and his barrel rate has been cut nearly in half. The lack of consistent hard contact is going to make it difficult for him to revert to form over the rest of the year, but it might only take one extended hot streak for him to turn things around. He entered the game as a pinch hitter and was walked. Giants' Jorge Soler: Resting Saturday. Soler was not in the Giants' lineup Saturday versus the Mets. After going 1-for-4 with a solo home run during Friday's victory, Soler got his first day off since returning from the injured list May 17.

Cuban Players News for the 2024 Major League Baseball season. A compilation of several sources Raisel Iglesias fired a perfect ninth inning on Thursday against the Cubs to collect his 12th save of the season. Iglesias received the call to protect a three-run lead in the final frame and required just 12 pitches (nine strikes) to end it. The 34-year-old veteran stopper has been one of the top closers this season, converting 12 of 14 save chances to accompany a solid 2.33 ERA, 1.09 WHIP and 14/5 K/BB ratio ac ross 19 1/3 innings (20 appearances). Adolis García hit a solo homer in a loss to the Phillies on Thursday. García took Zack Wheeler deep in the second inning. The 31-year-old slugger has gone deep a dozen times thus far in 2024 while driving in 36 runs over Texas’s first 51 games. He also drew a walk, and he’s now slashing .253/.300/.500. García is a flawed player, but the power-production is going to make him relevant for a long time. Bryan Ramos is set for weekend return. Ramos will return from the injured list during the White Sox's weekend series against the Orioles, Vinnie Duber of AllCHGO.com reported. Ramos began a rehab assignment Tuesday and went 1-for-2 in his only appearance to this point. He should return to a regular role at third base upon his activation. Yariel Rodríguez will make a minor league rehab appearance on Sunday for Triple-A Buffalo. Blue Jays manager John Schneider added that Rodríguez will aim for roughly 30-35 pitches in his second rehab outing. The 27-year-old figures to return as a multi-inning reliever after hitting the injured list in late April due to back inflammation. Luis Robert will start a minor league rehab assignment on Tuesday with Triple-A Charlotte. Finally some good news for Chicago as their star outfielder will wrap up play in Arizona this week before heading out to face some higher minor-league competition next week. There isn’t an exact timetable for Robert to return, but he figures to rejoin the White Sox’ struggling lineup at some point in early June. Braves optioned RHP Daysbel Hernández to Triple-A Gwinnett. Hernández will make room on the roster for AJ Smith-Shawver, who is starting on Thursday. The right-hander will return to a 1.65 ERA and 22/9 K/BB over 12 appearances and 16 1/3 innings at Triple-A. He figures to get another shot with the big-league club soon. Yasmani Grandal was held out again. Grandal remained out of the lineup for Thursday's contest versus the Giants, Andrew Destin of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported. Grandal missed a second straight start after exiting Tuesday's 7-6 win with left groin soreness. Grandal is considered day-to-day. Lázaro Montes riding eight game hitting streak. Seattle Mariners outfield prospect Lázaro Montes has been one of the best hitters in the Minor Leagues this season and is currently entering Thursday evening with an eight-game hitting streak. Since the start of May, the 19-year-old has a stellar .403/.506/.672 slash line with four home runs and a 14:14 BB:K ratio. Overall through 38 games with Single-A Modesto, Montes has a .336/.441/.557 line with seven home runs and a 27:29 BB:K ratio. With his impressive production in only his second professional season, Montes should be moving up to High-A fairly soon. Even though he is still several seasons away from the major leagues, he should be monitored closely as he is developing into one of the game's most talented prospects.

Cuban Players News for the 2024 Major League Baseball season. A compilation of several sources Néstor Cortés earns his third win of the season. Néstor Cortés pitched five scoreless innings on Wednesday against the Mariners. He scattered three hits and three walks while striking out six and earning the win. Cortés had a tougher time in this one than the box score would suggest as the Mariners put men on base in each of the first four innings with a handful of runners in scoring position. Still, Cortés found a way to wiggle out of every jam and earned his third win of the season. Jorge Soler went 2-for-4 and drove in three runs on Wednesday night, propelling the Giants to a 9-5 come-from-behind victory over the Pirates in extra innings. Soler got the Giants on the board in the fifth inning with a run-scoring single off of Jared Jones, trimming their deficit to four runs at 5-1. He also plated a run with a ground ball in the eighth inning that made it 5-4. The 32-year-old slugger also added an RBI single in the 10th — extending the Giants’ lead to 7-5. He scored later in the frame on a single by Luis Matos. With his two-hit night, he’s now slashing .213/.304/.362 with five homers and 12 RBI. Yandy Díaz swats late homer. Díaz went 1-for-5 with a solo home run and an additional RBI in Wednesday's 8-5 loss to the Red Sox. Díaz knocked in a run with a groundout in the second inning and added a solo shot in the ninth. He's up to four homers this season, three of which have come in his last 12 games, a span in which he's hitting .313 (15-for-48). The infielder is slashing .255/.321/.360 with 25 RBI, 22 runs scored, no stolen bases and nine doubles over 50 contests this season. Díaz had a career-high 22 homers in 2023, but that was an anomaly for him from a power standpoint -- he's much more of a contact-first hitter. Again, Aroldis Chapman is struggling. Chapman appeared in a 9-5 loss to the Giants in 10 innings on Wednesday night. In the eighth inning, he failed to get any outs, walking three and giving up a run. It was a disastrous outing for the reliever, who threw only two strikes in 14 pitches. Chapman now has a 28:20 strikeout-to-walk ratio (1.4), which is worrying for a pitcher of his caliber. A two-RBI performance by Andy Ibáñez. Andy Ibáñez went 1-for-4 with two RBIs in an 8-3 loss to the Royals on Wednesday. As a result, he recorded his third double of the season. As a whole, he is hitting .277/.300/.415, totaling 2 home runs and 10 RBIs. Adolis García returned to the Rangers’ starting lineup for Wednesday night’s showdown against the Phillies. After missing a pair of games due to a forearm issue, the 31-year-old slugger was right back in there for the Rangers on Wednesday evening. He went 1-for-4 with a strikeout. Adolis has been a force in the middle of the lineup once again this season — slashing .251/.296/.486 with 11 homers, 35 RBI and four stolen bases. José Abreu is due to join Triple-A Sugar Land this weekend, according to manager Joe Espada. It sounds like he’ll begin playing there on Friday, with the possibility that he could be back in the majors as soon as Sunday. Abreu has gone 6-for-18 with two doubles in eight games in Rookie ball. Yariel Rodríguez had a light workload in first rehab outing. Yariel allowed an unearned run on one hit and one walk while retiring one batter in his rehab appearance for Triple-A Buffalo on Tuesday. He tossed 16 pitches in the outing, his first at any level since the Blue Jays placed him on the 15-day injured list April 30 with thoracic spine inflammation. Per Keegan Matheson of MLB.com, Yariel is scheduled to cover two innings and toss around 30-to-35 pitches in his next rehab appearance later this week, which could be his last before he makes his return from the IL.

Cuban Players News for the 2024 Major League Baseball season. A compilation of several sources Yordan Alvarez hits his ninth home run. Yordan Alvarez hit his 9th home run of the season on Tuesday in a 7-6 win over the Angels. A back-to-back hit by Kyle Tucker and Yordan tied the game at 2-2 in the sixth inning. Alvarez finished the night 2-for-4 with one run scored, one intentional walk, and one strikeout. In 48 games this year, he has 9 home runs and 21 RBIs. White Sox released RHP Norge Vera. Vera was one of the better pitching prospects in Chicago’s system just a few years ago after being a high-profile international free agent signing out of Cuba. The 23-year-old righty has made only a handful of starts over the last three years due to injury. The minor league record of Vera at all levels is 1-7, with 70 1/3 innings pitched and a SO/BB ratio of 103/58 in 31 starts. There have been several injuries sustained by the right-handed pitcher, including two visits to the 60-day injury list in 2023 and March 2024. According to his release, he may have chronic injuries and they may recur. Another good performance from Adrián Morejón. As the Padres lost 2-0 to the Reds on Tuesday, Morejón had another good performance. Morejón threw 35 pitches, 22 of them strikes, over two innings. With a strikeout and a walk, he did not allow any hits. In 13 games and 19 2/3 innings, Morejón's ERA decreased to 2.29. His strikeout-to-walk ratio is 27:4. On Tuesday, Andy Pagés and Miguel Vargas combined for one hit. In a 7-3 loss to the D-backs, Andy Pagés and Miguel Vargas combined for 1-for-7. In his 0-for-4 performance, Pagés went hitless. Two times he struck out. Meanwhile, Vargas had his first hit of 2024, going 1-for-3 with a double and a run scored in his second game of the 2024 season. Soler struck out three times on Tuesday. Soler struggled in the Giants' 7-6 loss to the Pirates on Tuesday. After going 0-for-4 with three strikeouts, a walk, and a run scored, Soler's BA dropped to .204. It has been a disastrous year for Soler with the Giants. He has slashed .204/.295/.358 in 38 games with only 5 HRs and 10 RBIs. Yasmani Grandal was removed from Tuesday’s game against the Giants with left groin discomfort. Grandal could wind up hitting the injured list in the coming days, if the issue winds up being serious. There should be an update on his status at some point prior to Wednesday’s contest. Daysbel Hernández blew a save. Daysbel Hernández blew his first game of the season in a 4-3 loss to the Cubs. At the time Daysbel entered the game, Atlanta was winning 3-2. He allowed two singles, including Mike Tauchman's that tied the game at 3-3. Overall, he pitched an inning, allowing two hits and a run. Yariel Rodríguez recorded one out on Tuesday in a minor league rehab start for Triple-A Buffalo. Rodríguez threw 16 pitches (nine strikes) in his first rehab outing since landing on the injured list back in late April with back inflammation. The 27-year-old righty will presumably be built up to handle a multi-inning relief role with Alek Manoah pitching reasonably well since rejoining Toronto’s starting rotation. Bryan Ramos will start a minor league rehab assignment on Tuesday for Triple-A Charlotte. Ramos will begin a rehab assignment at Triple-A Charlotte on Tuesday, Daryl Van Schouwen of the Chicago Sun-Times reported. Ramos was placed on the injured list Friday (retroactive to Wednesday) with a strained left quad, and the fact he is already beginning an assignment in Charlotte means he will almost certainly be activated when eligible Saturday. The 22-year-old infielder was 9-for-32 with two RBI through his first 10 games in the majors before getting hurt. Luis Robert Jr. will play five innings on Wednesday in a Rookie-level Arizona Complex League contest. The plan appears to be for Robert to get a couple games in this week out in Arizona before heading out on an official minor league rehab assignment next week. Robert has been on the shelf since April 6 due to a Grade 2 right hip flexor strain, but he now appears to be ready to test his hip in a competitive environment. The plan is for him to remain at the White Sox's complex in Arizona through the weekend before officially beginning an assignment with one of Chicago's minor-league affiliates next week. The team has not revealed how long they expect the 26-year-old outfielder to remain on assignment, but it's likely he returns to the Sox sometime in June. Adolis García was not in the starting lineup for Tuesday’s game against the Phillies. There was some talk that García could return Tuesday from his forearm injury, but he’ll be out at least one more game. Derek Hill — who was called up from Triple-A Round Rock prior to the game — will get the start in García’s absence. He should be considered day-to-day at this stage. The good news is that the 31-year-old right-handed slugger isn't suffering from a serious injury and could be back in the lineup as early as Wednesday's contest in Philly. When healthy and in the lineup, Garcia is a danger in home plate, despite the fact he's hit just .188 (13-for-69) with three homers and 10 RBI in 17 games in May. Overall, he's batting .251 with 11 long balls, 35 RBI and four steals in 175 at-bats. Yandy Díaz was not in the starting lineup on Tuesday. Díaz was out of the lineup for Tuesday's game against the Red Sox. The 32-year-old yielded to Jonathan Aranda at first base Tuesday, giving Díaz his first day off after playing 10 straight games. During that stretch, Díaz batted .341 with a pair of homers. As a pinch hitter he entered the game late and went 0-2. Athletics' Aledmys Díaz receives time off after back-to-back games. Díaz appeared in back-to-back rehab games with Triple-A Las Vegas on Friday and Saturday before receiving Sunday off. Diaz played seven innings at third base in Friday's game against El Paso before walking in his only plate appearance as the designated hitter Saturday. There's been no report of an aggravation of the injury to explain why Díaz was in the game for such a brief time Saturday, and he was then out of the lineup Sunday before the team's off day Monday. The Aviators also saw their scheduled game against Triple-A Tacoma on Tuesday postponed due to rain, so Díaz will have had some extra rest if he does return to the lineup for the Aviators on Wednesday.

Cuban Players News for the 2024 Major League Baseball season. A compilation of several sources Raisel Iglesias pitched a scoreless ninth inning to earn his 11th save of the season against the Padres on Monday. Iglesias had allowed one run in three of his previous six appearances, which included one blown save. He got the Padres to go quietly with a clean ninth inning to preserve the Braves 3-0 shutout victory. Iglesias had the last two days off and only threw 13 pitches so he should be well rested for his next appearance. Yariel Rodríguez will start for Triple-A Buffalo on Tuesday as part of his rehab assignment. With Alek Manoah pitching well in the rotation, it’s unlikely that Rodríguez will be back in the mix to start when he’s activated. However, Rodríguez profiles better as a multi-inning reliever, which is where he experienced the most success in Japan. He could provide a boost for the Blue Jays bullpen and insurance for Manoah when he comes off the IL. Bowden Francis will also make a rehab start with Buffalo later in the week and could provide further insurance in case Manoah slips up again. Lourdes Gurriel Jr. homered in loss. Gurriel went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Monday's 6-4 loss to the Dodgers. Gurriel snapped a 26-game homer drought with his eighth-inning blast. The outfielder has gone 11-for-45 (.244) over his last 12 contests, adding just five RBI and five runs scored in that span. He's at a .236/.284/.385 slash line with six homers, 27 RBI, 24 runs scored and two stolen bases over 44 contests this season. He's never posted a batting average lower than .261 or an OPS lower than .743 over a full season, so there's room for Gurriel to turn things around in 2024. According to Rangers Today’s Jeff Wilson, Adolis García could be available to play on Tuesday. In his Monday newsletter, Wilson mentioned that “all looked good” with García’s MRI and that “García could be available Tuesday in the opener against the Phillies.” That’s a huge sigh of relief for both the Rangers and fantasy managers. It’s not for certain that García will actually be in the lineup on Tuesday, but it sounds like the slugging outfielder will avoid the IL and not miss many more games, if he misses any at all. Yandy Díaz with one hit Monday. Recently, Yandy has been hot, and he might be the player we saw win the American League batting title last year, although that might not happen until the end of the season. In Monday's 5-0 loss to the Red Sox, Yandy went 1-for-4 with a strikeout. Currently, he's hitting .259/.327/.352 with 3 homers and 23 RBIs, but he's slashing .328/.406/.492 with 2 homers and 10 RBIs in the last 15 games. On Monday, Cionel Pérez struggled against the Cardinals. Second time in four games that Cionel failed to perform effectively. The sixth inning saw him come on to pitch and retire all three batters in order. Nevertheless, the Cardinals were able to extend their lead 6-3 one inning later with two walks and two singles against Cionel. Overall, he pitched 1 2/3 innings, allowing two hits, two walks, and two strikeouts. Based on nine and a half innings in 10 games, his ERA stands at 5.59. Braves recall Daysbel Hernández. The Atlanta Braves announced Tuesday that they have recalled reliever Daysbel Hernández to the active roster. The team optioned Ray Kerr back to Gwinnett after Monday’s doubleheader against the Padres. Daysbel served as the 27th man for Monday’s doubleheader but will return to the active roster to give the team another fresh arm as they head out on a six-game road trip. He made his season debut Monday allowing a hit and a walk in a scoreless inning. He appeared in 12 games at Gwinnett where he had a 1.65 ERA and a 3.58 FIP in 16 1⁄3 innings. Andy Ibáñez was not in lineup Monday. Andy Ibáñez was not in the lineup for the Detroit Tigers against the Kansas City Royals Monday. With Ibáñez sitting out of Monday's series opener, Colt Keith started at second base and batted seventh. Monday, Randy Arozarena was absent from the lineup. In Monday's game against the Boston Red Sox, Randy Arozarena was not in the lineup for the Tampa Bay Rays. Kevin Cash started Richie Palacios in left field for the Red Sox on Monday in place of Arozarena, who was given the night off for general rest. Luis Robert Jr. is expected to play in rehab games this week. Chicago White Sox outfielder Luis Robert Jr. is expected to play in live games at the team's spring training complex in Glendale, Ariz., at some point this week. "We anticipate some game action later this week," general manager Chris Getz said. "He seems to have turned the corner and is trending well." The White Sox are bringing Robert along slowly as he deals with an injury similar to the one that caused him to miss more than three months in 2021. Once the 26-year-old begins playing in games, he'll be much closer to a return to Chicago's lineup, but the White Sox aren't going to rush the oft-injured outfielder back. Robert was a first-time All-Star in 2023 but was hitting .214 (6-for-28) with two homers and four RBI in seven games at the time of his injury.