MLB 2022 | Cuban Players News

Daily Major League Baseball (MLB) Cuban Players News for the 2022 season. A compendium from several MLB sources.

Yandy Díaz (Photo: MLB)

May 18, 2022

Yandy Díaz went 3-for-4 and scored a run as the Rays triumphed over the Tigers on Wednesday. Randy Arozarena went blank.

Díaz led off the game with a single off of Eduardo Rodríguez then came around to score the game's first run as Randy Arozarena drew a walk with the bases loaded. He added two more singles before the afternoon was through. With the three-hit attack, Díaz is now hitting .287/.412/.398 with three homers and nine RBI through his first 32 games of the season. On the other hand, Randy Arozarena went 0-for-3 with a walk, a RBI, and two strikeouts to end the night with a .225 BA.

José Abreu went 1-for-4 with a double and a run scored in Wednesday's loss to the Royals.

Abreu picked up double No. 7 in the loss. The veteran slugger is slashing just .212/.295/.333 with three homers and 14 RBI in 35 games this season. As bad as those numbers might be, Abreu is too consistent a hitter to struggle for long, and he has shown signs of life in recent days, picking up doubles in back-to-back contests and hits in four of his last five. In the same game Yoán Moncada, Luis Robert, and Yasmani Grandal combined for 1-for-13 with 4 strikeouts and nine runners left on base.

Cionel Pérez does it again.

Lefty reliever Cionel Pérez was able to get a must-needed out for the Orioles on Wednesday night. Pérez came in relief of Félix Bautista with two outs and a runner in scoring position in the eighth, and the score 3-2 against. The Cuban lefty then used all his arsenal to strike out Anthony Rizzo with seven pitches, keeping the score intact. Pérez has pitched in 14 games, 11 innings with 12 strikeouts, and an ERA of 0.82 this year.

Cionel Pérez (Photo: G Fiume/Getty Images)

Angels' Raisel Iglesias: Falters again. Iglesias (1-2) took the loss during Wednesday's 6-5 defeat at the hands of the Rangers, allowing two runs (one earned) on one hit with one strikeout in one-third of an inning. Iglesias entered a 4-4 tie with the bases loaded and two out in the bottom of the ninth and induced a Jonah Heim strikeout to neutralize the threat. Los Angeles scored one in the top of the 10th and Iglesias stayed to finish things up, but he served up a Nathaniel Lowe walk-off homer on the very first pitch. After converting all eight save opportunities prior to Saturday, the 32-year-old has surrendered walk-off long balls in consecutive appearances that have upped his ERA from 2.13 to 4.61.

Adolis García and Andy Ibáñez went hitless against the Angels.

García and Ibáñez went 0-for-8 with 3 strikeouts, a walk, and nine runners left on base combined, on Wednesday's 6-5 over the Angels in 10 innings. Adolis is slashing .209/.265/.418 while Ibáñez's line is .187/.245/.242.

Lourdes Gurriel Jr. was removed from Wednesday's battle against the Mariners due to tightness in his left hamstring.

It's not clear exactly when the injury occurred, but Gurriel was replaced by Raimel Tapia defensively to begin the sixth inning. The hamstring has been a recurring issue for Gurriel over the past few weeks, so there's a chance that it could eventually lead to a stint on the injured list. Stay tuned.

Jorge Soler was held out of the Marlins lineup for the second consecutive game on Wednesday due to back stiffness.

The team has a scheduled off-day on Thursday, and Marlins skipper Don Mattingly noted that he hopes the three days off in a row will clear up the issue and have the slugger ready for the weekend. The 30-year-old is hitting just .195/.287/.391 with seven homers and 18 RBI in his first 35 games with the Marlins.