MLB 2022 | Gurriel hitting streak continues, Vargas demoted, Heredia optioned, and more

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

Lourdes Gurriel Jr. (Photo: Blue Jays Twitter)

Aug 7, 2022

Dodgers optioned INF/OF Miguel Vargas to Triple-A Oklahoma City.

The corresponding move is expected to be Justin Turner (abdomen) coming off the injured list Tuesday. Vargas wound up starting just two of six games during his first stint in the majors, as it became clear he wasn't going to be up for the long haul. He'll return to a .291/.382/.497 line at OKC.

Blue Jays' Lourdes Gurriel: Extends hit streak to eight games. Gurriel went 2-for-5 with one double and one RBI in Sunday's 3-2 win over Minnesota. The Toronto leadoff man stayed hot at the dish Sunday, extending his hitting streak to eight games and raising his batting average to .312 in the process. Gurriel has hit .375 since the beginning of July, up from .285 in the first three months of the season. While he has lowered his strikeout rate to 14 percent since July from 18 percent earlier this season, his strong performance is driven by a .435 BABIP since the beginning of July.

Jose Barrero followed up Saturday's two-homer game by striking out all four times he was up Sunday against the Brewers.

Barrero's homers yesterday are his only hits in four games since his callup. He's struck out eight times in 14 at-bats so far, leaving him with a 51/4 K/BB ratio in 138 major league plate appearances since he debuted in 2020.

Yordan Alvarez went 0-for-3 against the Guardians on Sunday.

Alvarez and the Astros were shut out by Tristan McKenzie and the Guardians on Sunday. He went hitless in the contest, but had quite a bit of bad luck as all three batted balls were hit at over 103 miles per hour with each having an expected batting average of at least .550. Even his bad days are impressive.

Braves optioned OF Guillermo Heredia to Triple-A Gwinnett.

In a flurry of roster moves Sunday morning, the Braves sent outfielder Guillermo Heredia to Triple-A. He has hit just .138/.211/.338 with three homers over 71 plate appearances. Chadwick Tromp was selected in the corresponding move.

White Sox's Yasmani Grandal: Rested Sunday. Grandal is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Rangers. Grandal will take a seat for the series finale after he started in each of the White Sox's last three games, two at catcher and one as a designated hitter. Seby Zavala will get the nod behind the plate Sunday while Jose Abreu handles DH duties.

Astros' Yuli Gurriel: Idle Sunday Gurriel was out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Guardians. He took a seat for the second time in less than a week, allowing Trey Mancini to pick up a start at first base. The move to the bench comes after Gurriel went 1-for-14 with an RBI in the first three games of the series in Cleveland.

Rockies' Jose Iglesias: Steps out of lineup. Iglesias is not in the lineup for Sunday's game against the Diamondbacks. Iglesias started the past 12 games and will receive Sunday off after producing a .391/.451/.522 slash line with six doubles, six RBI and eight runs during that span. Garrett Hampson will take over at shortstop Sunday in Arizona.

Aug 6, 2022

Adolis García went 2-for-4 with five RBI in Saturday's win over the White Sox.

After driving in two on a 105.6-mph base hit in the bottom of the third, Garcia cleared the bases with his 107-mph two-bagger in the bottom of the seventh. The toolsy outfielder is hitting .247 with 18 home runs and 15 stolen bases (405 at-bats).

White Sox's Luis Robert: Sits as expected. Robert will sat as expected Saturday against the Rangers. The White Sox are being cautious with Robert as he returns from a bout of lightheadedness that wound up costing him nearly three weeks. He was activated off the injured list Tuesday but didn't start a game until Thursday, when he served as the designated hitter. He started in center field Friday but will have a scheduled off day Saturday, with AJ Pollock handling the position in his absence.

Rays' Yandy Diaz: Headed to bench. Diaz sat Saturday against the Tigers, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports. Diaz has gone hitless in his last four games but still owns a strong .280/.393/.389 slash line overall. Yu Chang will get the start at third base Saturday.

Astros' Aledmys Diaz: Filled in for Altuve. Diaz started at second base, batted second in Sunday's game against the Guardians, and went 0-for-4 with a strikeout. After a one-game absence due to a sore ring finger, Diaz checked back into the lineup for Saturday's 4-1 loss, going 2-for-4 with a pair of doubles an an RBI. He'll make his second straight start in the middle infield, this time replacing a resting Jose Altuve after spelling Jeremy Pena on Saturday. Moving forward, Diaz is projected to see most of his playing time in left field while the Astros wait for Michael Brantley (shoulder) to return from the injured list.

Mets' Yoan Lopez: Headed back to minors. The Mets returned Lopez to Triple-A Syracuse following Saturday's doubleheader with Atlanta. Lopez appeared in the Mets' 8-5 win in the first game of the twin bill and recorded just one out while allowing three earned runs on four hits. The 29-year-old right-hander owns a 5.73 ERA and 1.73 WHIP in 11 innings with the big club this season.