MLB 2022 | Yordan keeps flying high, Luis Robert was clutch, Iglesias still hot, 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's Twitter)

Jun 21, 2022

Astros' Yordan Álvarez: Swats homer in return.

Álvarez went 1-for-3 with a two-run home run, an additional run scored and a walk-in Tuesday's 8-2 win over the Mets. Álvarez missed one game with the hand injury, but it didn't appear to be much of a factor Tuesday. His third-inning blast ultimately gave the Astros enough offense to win. The slugger is up to 19 homers, 49 RBI, 43 runs scored, eight doubles and two triples through 252 plate appearances while maintaining a fantastic .312/405/.633 slash line. He is leading all MLB hitters in xwOBA with .490.

Aroldis Chapman (Achilles) is set to begin a minor league rehab assignment this weekend with Double-A Somerset.

Chapman made it through a live batting practice session Tuesday at the Yankees' spring training complex in Florida and has now gotten clearance for real-world competition. The veteran reliever has been sidelined since late May due to Achilles tendinitis and was struggling prior to the IL stint. Clay Holmes is currently serving as the primary closer for New York and could very well keep that gig a long while after Chapman returns.

Néstor Cortés gave up four runs (three home runs) over 4 1/3 innings in Tuesday's loss to the Rays.

He also gave up six hits and struck out three. Isaac Paredes and Harold Ramirez hit back-to-back solo home runs in the bottom of the first. And in the bottom of the third, Paredes once again hit a solo home run off of Cortes. The crafty southpaw will take a 2.31 ERA into Sunday afternoon's home matchup versus the Astros.

White Sox's Jose Abreu: Dealing with leg soreness. Abreu is managing leg soreness and will be limited to serving as the designated hitter in Wednesday's game against the Blue Jays, though he could instead be held out of the lineup, James Fegan of The Athletic reports. Abreu went 2-for-6 with a run scored and never exited Tuesday's contest, but manager Tony La Russa did consider replacing him with a pinch-runner during the 12th inning. It doesn't appear to be a serious injury, but the veteran slugger won't play the field in Wednesday's series finale, and he could receive a full day off if the soreness remains bothersome.

Rockies' José Iglesias: Another multi-hit game.

José Iglesias went 2-for-4 on Tuesday's 9-8 loss to the Marlins. The Cuban shortstop added his double #15 of the season and collected his multi-hit #14 of the season. Iglesias' slash line is .303/.349/378 with 20 runs scored and 18 RBI this year and is batting .432 with RISP. In the same game, Marlin's Jorge Soler went 1-for-4, walked, and struck out, before being replaced by PH Bryan de la Cruz in the bottom of the 8th inning.

Ray's Yandy Díaz and Randy Arozarena: Combined for two hits on Tuesday.

Díaz and Arozarena went 2-for-4 combined on Tuesday's 5-4 victory against the Yankees. Díaz scored a run and Arozarena struck out, in a game that had both players making good defensive plays. Díaz is slashing .269/.390/.348 while Arozarena is still struggling with a slash line of .249/.303/.403 this year.

Gurriel's brothers: Very different outcomes on Tuesday.

While veteran Yuli Gurriel went 0-for-3 with a strikeout and a walk on Tuesday's 8-2 victory against the Mets, Lourdes Gurriel Jr. was 2-for-4 with a run scored in a 7-6 loss to the White Sox. Yuli is having a season to forget, while Lourdes improves as the season progresses and is expected to have an even better second half.

Vladimir Gutiérrez (elbow) will throw a bullpen session this week.

It's a really encouraging update that Gutiérrez is ready to resume throwing bullpens after being diagnosed with a Grade 1 UCL tear in his right elbow earlier this month. There isn't a clear timetable for his return to the Reds' pitching mix at the moment.

White Sox's Luis Robert: Extended hitting streak to 12 games.

Luis Robert matched a career-high with four RBIs and made a sliding grab in center field in the top of the 12th, helping the White Sox (33-33) win for the sixth time in eight games. Chicago trailed 4-2 before Robert hit a two-run single off Jordan Romano with two outs in the ninth, delighting the crowd of 20,529 at Guaranteed Rate Field. Luis Robert went 2-for-5 in the game and is now slashing .300/.332/.432 with 7 HR and 35 RBI. He extended his hitting streak to 12 games and is developing into one of the best all-around outfielders this season.

White Sox's Yasmani Grandal: Rehab assignment likely. Grandal (back) progressed substantially over the weekend, but he is expected to go on a rehab assignment prior to being activated from the injured list, Scott Merkin of MLB.com reports. Grandal stayed in Chicago for the team's weekend series at Houston to receive treatment. General manager Rick Hahn was positive when speaking about the progress Grandal made in that span, implying that Grandal would be reevaluated in the middle of this week with the potential of resuming batting practice as well as playing in six games. Hahn also made clear that he prefers Grandal to complete a rehab assignment prior to being activated. That likely puts Grandal's return in early July at the earliest.

Nats' Yadiel Hernández: 0-for-2 on Tuesday against the Orioles.

Hernández walked and was 0-for-2 in a 3-0 victory against the Orioles on Tuesday, and was replaced by Víctor Robles in the bottom of the seventh inning. Hernández's slash line is .269/.314/.394.

Astros' Aledmys Díaz: Did not start Tuesday. Díaz (shoulder) was out of the lineup for Tuesday's game against the Mets. Even with the benefit of Monday's team off-day, Díaz is apparently still dealing with too much discomfort in his left shoulder to rejoin the lineup. Mauricio Dubón replaced him at shortstop. Díaz had been serving as the primary option at the position while Jeremy Peña (thumb) is on the injured list.