MLB 2022 | Yordan and Aledmis homer in win, Yandy's hit streak extended, and more

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

Aledmis Díaz (Photo: Astros de Houston Twitter)

Jul 5, 2022

Aledmys Díaz went 3-for-4 with a two-run home run in Tuesday's win over the Royals.

In the bottom of the seventh, Díaz connected on a first-pitch fastball from Jackson Kowar and hit a 104.6-mph two-run home run towards the Crawford Boxes at Minute Maid Park. Díaz is slashing .226/.276/.329 with four home runs across 156 plate appearances.

Yandy Díaz went 3-for-4 with an RBI single, a run scored, and a walk in Tuesday's win over the Red Sox.

In the Rays' four-run top of the sixth, Rene Pinto scored on Díaz's 98.5-mph single. He also led off the top of the first with a 95.6-mph double, and sent a 102.4-mph double to left field in the top of the second. Díaz extended his hit streak to 10 games with the performance.

Aroldis Chapman: Effective in second outing.

Aroldis Chapman was a different pitcher on Tuesday's 5-2 loss to the Pirates. During his second outing after rejoining the Yankees, Chapman pitched a scoreless inning using only 11 pitches, 7 of them for strikes. His best improvement? He was basically throwing strikes and showing his well know speed. Chapman was able to throw three pitches at or over 100mph and his command over the strike zone was impeccable, using his 4-seamer and his slider effectively. It was a good sign for one of the top relievers in the game.

Yordan Álvarez went 2-for-4 with a solo home run, two runs scored, and a walk in Tuesday's win over the Royals.

Up by two runs in the bottom of the eighth, Álvarez hit a 363-foot solo home run to left-center field -- his 25th home run of the season. Only Aaron Judge has more home runs (29).

Yasmani Grandal (back) will begin a minor league rehab assignment on Wednesday.

Grandal (lower back) said that he'll begin a minor-league rehab assignment at Double-A Birmingham on Wednesday, but he doesn't expect to be activated from the 10-day injured list until after the All-Star break, James Fegan of The Athletic reports. Grandal intimated that the White Sox plan to send him on an extended rehab assignment while he looks to regain conditioning in addition to his timing at the plate after being sidelined for the past three weeks with lower-back spasms. He's expected to make most of his initial rehab starts as a designated hitter and is likely to stick around at Birmingham through the weekend. After that, Grandal is then expected to shift his rehab to Triple-A Charlotte at the beginning of next week, when he'll presumably pick up starts behind the plate and at first base. Before the back injury cropped up, Grandal had endured a tough start to the 2022 campaign; he's sitting on a .185/.294/.237 slash line with just two home runs and one stolen base in 201 plate appearances.

Adrián Morejón (shoulder) will begin a minor league rehab assignment on Tuesday with Triple-A El Paso.

Morejón landed on the injured list back in late June due to left shoulder inflammation and is expected to rejoin the Padres' bullpen prior to this month's upcoming All-Star break. The 23-year-old lefty has allowed three runs (two earned) over 4 2/3 innings (three appearances) this season at the major-league level.

Nationals' Yadiel Hernández: Late addition to lineup. Hernández started in left field and batted eighth Tuesday against the Phillies. The 34-year-old was originally absent from Tuesday's lineup, but he was added to the starting line just before the first pitch after Nelson Cruz (undisclosed) was scratched. Hernández had a .638 OPS over 20 games in June, and he's 0-for-7 through his first three contests of July. he went 1-for-3 in the game.

Blue Jays' Lourdes Gurriel: Was out of Tuesday's lineup. Gurriel was not in the lineup for Tuesday's game against the Athletics. Gurriel is in the midst of an eight-game hit streak during which he has a .379/.438/.621 slash line, though he finds himself on the bench Tuesday for the second time in the past four contests. Raimel Tapia played the left field and batted seventh for Toronto.