MLB 2023 | Iglesias hit hard, Cano locks down save No. 3, Ibáñez adds two more hits, and more...

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

Yennier Cano (Photo: OptaSTATS)

May 10

Raisel Iglesias gave up two runs in two-thirds of an inning Wednesday against the Red Sox.

Iglesias came in with the Braves down 3-2 in the ninth and lessened the chances of a comeback by giving up a double and a homer right away. It's his first misstep in three appearances since coming off the IL, and he still figures to get the team's next save chance.

Yennier Cano fired a scoreless ninth inning on Wednesday against the Rays to collect his third save of the season.

Cano picked up his third save of the season in a win over the Rays on Wednesday after pitching a 1-2-3 ninth inning. He struck out one in the outing. Cano was called upon to close out the game with Felix Bautista seemingly unavailable to pitch after he threw 29 pitches Tuesday. The 29-year-old sent the Rays down in order on just eight pitches and has yet to give up a run in 14 appearances. He now sits at a 0.00 ERA, 0.16 WHIP and 22:0 K:BB over 18.2 innings. According to OptaSTATS, Cano's 0.16 WHIP is the lowest by any MLB pitcher over any span of 14 appearances in the modern era with a minimum of 50 outs recorded.

Tigers' Andy Ibáñez: Two hits in win. Ibáñez went 2-for-4 with a double, an RBI and one run scored in Wednesday's 5-0 victory over Cleveland. Ibáñez, making his fourth consecutive start, extended Detroit's lead to 2-0 with a two-out RBI double in the first inning. The 30-year-old infielder added a second hit in the third before coming around to score on Akil Baddoo's double. After going 0-for-10 in his first four games, Ibáñez has gone 11-for-25 with four doubles, a home run and zero strikeouts in his last eight contests. He's now slashing .314/.333/.514 with four RBI and six runs scored through 36 plate appearances since being called up April 29.

Astros' Yordan  Álvarez: Smacks eighth homer of year. Álvarez went 1-for-4 with a solo homer in Wednesday's 5-4 win over Los Angeles. Álvarez's 417-foot long ball to center gave Houston a 1-0 lead in the first inning. The power hitter is now tied for second in the league with 34 RBI, and he now has hits in eight of his last nine games. The 25-year-old's current batting average (.283) is significantly below his mark from last season (.306), but Álvarez still has plenty of time to get hot and boost that number close to .300. He is definitely in pace for a 40+ homer season.

Dodgers' Miguel Vargas: Goes yard in second straight. Vargas went 1-for-5 with a two-run home run in Wednesday's 8-1 win over the Brewers. He took Wade Miley deep in the sixth inning to help chase the veteran southpaw from the game. Vargas has had a slow start to 2023 due to the broken finger he suffered in spring training, but he appears to be getting comfortable at the plate -- the 23-year-old has homered in back-to-back games, with three of his four long balls on the year coming in the last eight contests.

Marlins' Yuli Gurriel: Benched on Wednesday. Gurriel was out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Diamondbacks. Gurriel has been filling in as the primary first baseman while Garrett Cooper (ear) has been on the shelf, but the 38-year-old got a breather for the series finale in Arizona while Luis Arraez spells him. While starting each of the Marlins' past eight games, Gurriel went 6-for-33 (.182 average) with a home run, two doubles, two runs and two RBI.

Luis Robert Jr. went 0-for-4 with four strikeouts on Wednesday in the White sox' blowout loss at the hands of the Royals.

Not great. Robert Jr. struck out in all three of his plate appearances in the lopsided affair and is now batting .254/.322/.493 with 24 runs scored, eight homers, 21 RBI and one stolen base across 153 plate appearances.

Reds' José Barrero: Day off Thursday. Barrero is not in the starting lineup Thursday versus the Mets. Barrero will take a seat after he went 0-for-3 in Wednesday's contest, dropping his season-long batting average to .218. Kevin Newman will take over at shortstop and bat eighth in the series finale with New York.

Yoán Moncada (back) walked twice on Wednesday in a minor league rehab game for Triple-A Charlotte.

It's a bit unclear when Moncada will be summoned back to Chicago, but he's continued to play in minor league rehab games this week. It sounds like he'll return sometime later this week, but there's nothing definitive yet from the White Sox on that front.

José Abreu was on the bench Wednesday for the first time this season.

A day off for Abreu was overdue, though the Astros don't have a true backup first baseman on the roster. Michael Brantley might eventually be the solution there, though it's unclear when he'll return. Backup catcher Yainer Díaz, who did play some first base in the minors, made his major league debut at the position yesterday.

Randy Arozarena was not in the Rays' lineup for Wednesday's showdown against the Orioles.

The Rays don't have a ton of off days this month, so Arozarena got a breather on Wednesday night in Baltimore. He came in late in the game as a PH and went 0-for-1.