MLB 2022 | Yordan hit a bomb, Abreu extends hitting streak, Cionel with a scoreless inning, and more

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

Yordan Álvarez (Photo: Astros de Houston Twitter)

Jul 7, 2022

Yordan Álvarez homered in a victory on Thursday over the Royals.

Álvarez now is up to 26 homers on the season with a solo shot off Kris Bubic. The slugger has also hit .312 with a whopping .655 slugging mark, and if not for some other impressive performances in the American League, might be the favorite for the AL MVP. As long as he can stay on the field, Álvarez is going to be among the best hitters in the sport.

Yasmani Grandal (back) went 1-for-3 with an RBI on Thursday in his minor league rehab assignment debut for Double-A Birmingham.

Of course, Grandal also walked twice in the contest. The 33-year-old on-base machine is working his way back from lower back spasms that sent him to the injured list back in mid-June. The defensive wizard isn't expected to rejoin the White Sox' lineup as their primary catcher until after the All-Star break later this month.

White Sox's José Abreu and Luis Robert: One hit each on Thursday.

Abreu and Luis Robert went 2-for-8 combined in a 2-1 loss to the Tigers on Thursday night. Abreu struck out twice while Luis Robert added his double #11 of the year and RBI #43. With his only single, Abreu extended his hitting streak to 12 games.

Jay's Lourdes Gurriel Jr.: Embarrassed moment in left field.

Lourdes Gurriel Jr. helped Dylan Moore homered in an 8-3 loss to the Mariners on Thursday night. Moore hit a deep fly to the warning track in the second inning. Gurriel tracked it down, but as he made a running leap on the track, the ball went into his glove and immediately popped out and over the wall. It was an embarrassing moment for the Cuban outfielder that went 2-for-4 with a run scored in the game. Gurriel's BA is now .294 for the season.

Yoán Moncada (foot) was back in the lineup Thursday against the Tigers.

Moncada was diagnosed with a bruised foot after leaving Wednesday's game, but X-rays returned negative and he felt well enough to play in the series opener against the Tigers. In the game, Moncada went 0-for-3 and now his BA is .184.

Nat's Yadiel Hernández: Hitless against the Phillies.

Yadiel went 0-for-3 with two strikeouts and a walk on Thursday's 5-3 loss to the Phillies. Yadiel batted fifth, behind veteran Nelson Cruz, and played left field. The 34-old year Cuban outfielder is having a decent season slashing .272/.317/.414 with 5 HR and 32 RBI.

Rockies' José Iglesias: Two more singles.

Iglesias went 2-for-4 with a run scored on Thursday's 4-3 win over the D-backs. Iglesias' slash line is .292/.335/.383 this year with 2 HR and 23 RBI. The flashy shortstop also continues with his big-time defense, an example was last Wednesday when he completed this insane catch against the Dodgers.

Orioles' Cionel Pérez: Another scoreless inning.

Cionel Pérez threw another scoreless inning against the Angels in a 4-1 win for the Orioles. Pérez struck out two hitters and threw only 9 pitches, 8 of them for strikes. For many Cionel shows some tantalizing stuff with a fastball velocity ranked in the 89th percentile among MLB pitchers this year, something that you don't normally see out of a 5'11" LHP.

Astros' Yuli Gurriel: Sat again Thursday. Aledmis Díaz: RBI #18. Gurriel was out of the starting lineup for Thursday's series finale against the Royals, likely due to an undisclosed injury. Gurriel was on the bench for a second straight contest, and though the Astros haven't provided an explanation behind the back-to-back absences, the 38-year-old is presumably dealing with a physical concern. J.J. Matijevic got the start at first base in Gurriel's stead and batted sixth in the series finale. Late in the game Gurriel pinch hit and went 0-for-1 with a strikeout. In the same game Aledmis Díaz, who played left field, went 1-for-5 with his 4th double of the season and his RBI #18.