MLB 2023 | Adolis with four hits, Iglesias secures fifth save, Moncada still isn't 100 percent

Major League Baseball (MLB) and other Cuban Players News for the 2023 season. A compendium from several sources

Adolis García (Photo: Texas Rangers)

May 31

Rangers' Adolis García: Four hits, steal in victory. García went 4-for-5 with three runs scored and a steal in Tuesday's win over the Tigers. García had cooled off a bit recently, going 5-for-31 with a .461 OPS over his last eight games. He got back on track Tuesday, picking up four base hits while stealing his first base since May 10. The 30-year-old García is slashing .257/.320/.505 with 14 home runs, 49 RBI, 45 runs scored and four stolen bases across 228 plate appearances this season.

Marlins' Yuli Gurriel: Swipes third bag. Gurriel went 0-for-3 with two walks and a steal in Tuesday's loss to the Padres. Gurriel is now 3-for-3 on stolen base attempts this season after swiping eight bags with Houston last year. While the 39-year-old shouldn't be counted on as a steady source of speed, he's been productive at the plate, going 13-for-30 over his last eight games to boost his slash line to .289/.353/.430 with three home runs and 12 RBI through 136 plate appearances this season. The veteran infielder has gotten the majority of the starts at first base recently, with Garrett Cooper serving as DH, though Jesús Sánchez's return from the IL could cut into Gurriel's playing time.

Raisel Iglesias fired a perfect ninth inning on Wednesday against the Athletics to record his fifth save of the season.

Iglesias picked up the save in Wednesday's 4-2 victory over Oakland, tossing a perfect ninth in which he recorded one strikeout. Iglesias was summoned to guard a two-run lead in the final frame and needed just six pitches to silence the Athletics. It was a nice bounce-back effort following some serious control issues during Tuesday's appearance against Oakland. He got Ramón Laureano to ground out before coaxing fly outs from JJ Bleday and Seth Brown to end the contest. The 33-year-old righty hasn't allowed an earned run in seven consecutive appearances since May 14.

Yoán Moncada is still troubled by the sore back that put him on the IL, according to manager Pedro Grifol.

“He loves to play the game. He’s not afraid to play hurt. He’s not afraid to play with pain,” Grifol said. “I’m proud of him for doing that, giving us everything he’s got every day.” It's hard to believe that a banged up Moncada is a better option at third than Jake Burger, who is on the bench for the second time in three days, but this is the White Sox way.

Padres re-signed SS José Iglesias to a minor league contract.

Iglesias and the Padres were able to work out a new minor league pact after the veteran shortstop opted out of his previous deal last week. The 33-year-old middle infielder has yet to appear in the majors this season and represents quality organizational depth for San Diego.