MLB 2022 | Gurriel Jr. and Díaz are progressing, Barrero hitless on Monday, and more

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

Lourdes Gurriel Jr. (Photo: Jim Mone/AP)

Sep 26, 2022

Blue Jays' Lourdes Gurriel: Continuing baseball activities. Gurriel (hamstring) did some hitting and throwing Monday while working through a running progression, Arden Zwelling of Sportsnet.ca reported. Gurriel is with the Blue Jays in Toronto, and the team hopes that he'll be able to return prior to the end of the regular season. However, it's not yet clear when he'll ultimately be activated from the injured list or whether he'll require a rehab assignment prior to returning.

Red's José Barrero: Hitless on Monday.

Barrero continues his terrible season at bat and went 0-for-3 with two strikeouts on Monday's 8-3 loss to the Pirates. The young shortstop is slashing .153/.187/.208 for the year while in the last seven games his slash line is just triple .087 with 11 strikeouts in 23 AB.

Ray's Yandy Díaz: Should be back soon.

Yandy Díaz has missed the Rays’ last six games due to a sore shoulder, but the infielder told Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times and other reporters that he is doing “a lot better” after getting a cortisone shot earlier last week. It doesn’t appear as though Díaz will require a trip to the injured list, but it also isn’t yet known when he might be back on the field. Díaz has been a big part of Tampa’s offense, hitting .292/.399/.419 over 549 plate appearances this year, resulting in an excellent 145 wRC+.

Yadiel Hernández's future with the Nats isn't clear.

Back in August the Nationals shifted Yadiel Hernández to the 60-day injured list, officially ending the outfielder’s season. Hernández was retroactively placed on the 10-day IL on August 19 due to a left calf strain, and his third MLB season saw the 34-year-old hit .269/.312/.410 with nine homers over 327 plate appearances. Hernández has spent much of his Nats tenure as the left-handed hitting side of an outfield platoon, posting roughly league-average offense since the start of the 2021 campaign. He is under team control through 2026, but given his age and the Nationals’ rebuild, it is possible the team might consider moving onto a younger option for next season.