Major League Baseball (MLB) and other Cuban Players News for the 2023 season. A compendium from several sources
Jun 1
Lourdes Gurriel Jr. scalded a two-run double on Thursday in the Diamondbacks' comeback win over the Rockies.
Gurriel went 1-for-4 with a double and two RBI in Thursday's 5-4 win over Colorado. Gurriel Jr. has proven beyond a reasonable doubt that last year's prolonged struggles with the Blue Jays were the result of playing through injury since he's slashing a stellar .309/.357/.564 with 30 runs scored, nine homers, 33 RBI and one stolen base across 210 plate appearances over 51 games this season in his Arizona debut. According to MLB, in pitcher counts Gurriel is the number one hitter in slugging this year with an extraordinary .490.
Astros' Yordan Álvarez: Hitless on Thursday. Álvarez went 0-for-3 in Thursday's 5-2 win over the Angels. Álvarez walked and struck out once during the game. He'd gone 3-for-24 with 2 solo-homers, five walks and 8 strikeouts over his last seven games. Álvarez is up to 14 long balls, 48 RBI, 35 runs scored and a .274/.389/.570 slash line through 50 contests.
Astros' José Abreu: Two RBI in win. Abreu went 1-for-3 with a double in Thursday's 5-2 win over the Angels. Abreu walked and also had two RBI. He hit just .213 (16-for-89) in May and has same .213 on the season with only a homer, 22 RBI, 15 runs scored and eight doubles across 229 plate appearances. He'll have a lot of catching up to do if he's going to get back to his established power production in 2023, and at 36 years old, it's not guaranteed he'll do it.
It was a hitless Thursday for Yuli Gurriel.
Gurriel was in the Miami lineup for a third consecutive day, but went hitless in a 10-1 loss to the Padres. On Thursday, Gurriel was 0-for-4 with a strikeout, leaving his slash line at .273/.340/.406 with 3 home runs, 12 RBI and 13 walks. Despite his 39 years, the infielder might need more playing time.
José Barrero: No hits on Thursday.
During Thursday's 8-2 loss to the Red Sox, Barrero went 0-for-4 with two strikeouts. As an outfielder this season, the former shortstop continues to struggle at the plate. In 41 games this year, he has struck out 42 times, but with just two home runs, he has nothing to trade. The off-speed pitches that Barrero has struggled with since 2022 have already resulted in 30 strikeouts this year. Considering his age and lack of discipline in the batter's box, the Cuban should be sent to the minors to improve.
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