MLB 2023 | Luis Robert blasts HR No. 32, Soler cranks 30th homer, Yuli receives World Series ring

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

Luis Robert (Photo: MLB)

Aug 15

Luis Robert Jr. blasts home run in White Sox victory over Cubs.

Luis Robert Jr. went 2-for-5 with a home run, one RBI, and one run scored as the Chicago White Sox defeated the Chicago Cubs 5-3 on Tuesday. In his 114 games played this season, Robert Jr. has compiled a .273 batting average with 32 home runs and 66 RBI. Robert was out of the lineup for the entirety of the three-game series versus Milwaukee over the weekend due to a sprained right pinky finger, but he rejoined the starting nine for Tuesday's series opener. The 26-year-old has hit well in 25 games since the All-Star break with six home runs, eight steals, 15 RBI and an .852 OPS in 94 at-bats.

Jorge Soler went 1-for-4 with a two-run homer in a tough loss to the Astros on Tuesday.

Soler greeted Astros starter Cristian Javier in the third inning with a 376-foot (103.8 EV) bomb, giving the Marlins a quick 3-0 lead. With his homer, Soler became the first Marlins player to hit 30-plus homers in a season since 2017, when Marcell Ozuna and Giancarlo Stanton hit 37 and 59, respectively. It's also the first time Soler has reached the 30-homer threshold since he hit 48 with Kansas City in 2019. Despite his efforts, the Marlins fell short, losing to the Astros by a final score of 6-5. This outing adds to Soler's season stats, where he has played 114 games and has a batting average of .244 with 30 home runs and 65 RBI.

Lourdes Gurriel Jr. drives in a run in Diamondbacks' win over Rockies.

Lourdes Gurriel Jr. contributed to the Diamondbacks' 8-5 victory over the Rockies on Tuesday, going 2-for-5 at the plate with one RBI, one run scored, and a steal. In the game, Gurriel Jr. showcased his ability to make contact, recording two hits in five at-bats. With this performance, he now has 64 RBI on the season, along with a .259 batting average and 19 home runs.

Yuli Gurriel receives his World Series ring from the Houston Astros.

Tuesday night's pregame festivities at Marlins Park in Miami were all about celebrating a player who is an integral part in the Astros' transition from MLB afterthought to the league's latest dynasty. Prior to first pitch, Houston manager Dusty Baker and several former teammates awarded Gurriel with his 2022 World Series ring. Because this week's three-game set in Miami is the only meeting between the Marlins and Astros this season, Gurriel had to wait a little longer to receive his gift than some of the other players from last year's squad who have since left the organization. Gurriel, one of just five players to be a part of the Astros' 2017 and 2022 World Series title runs, spent the first seven seasons of his MLB career in Houston before signing with the Miami Marlins on a minor-league deal in March. Gurriel has since picked up a fairly prominent role with his new team, both mentoring younger players and seeing consistent playing time with the MLB club. In addition to the disappointment over his departure, Astros fans have seen his successor, José Abreu, fall far short of the caliber of player who was awarded the 2020 AL MVP award.

Adolis García went hitless on Tuesday. Chapman was perfect.

Adolis went 0-for-3 with a walk and a strikeout in a 7-3 victory over the Angels. In 117 games and 442 at bats, the Cuban outfielder is hitting .258/.304/.467 on the year with 30 home runs and 91 RBI. In the same game, Aroldis Chapman threw a scoreless eight innings with only 14 pitches, 12 of them strikes.In total, he struck out one.

Yordan Álvarez on base three times Tuesday.

The Astros beat the Marlins 6-5 on Tuesday, and Yordan got on base three times.With two walks and a run scored, Yordan went 1-for-2. His 15th double of the season came off starter Johnny Cueto in the top of the 4th inning when Yainer Díaz hit a 2-run homer to make the score 3-2.Yordan is in a mini-slump, slashing .154/.290.192 with no homers and 2 RBI in his last 7 games.

Another hit for J. P. Martínez.

In Texas' 7-3 win over the Angels, J. P. Martínez went 1-for-3 with a run scored and a walk. Having just made his MLB debut on Aug. 11, J.P. now has four consecutive games with at least one hit, including three games with multiple hits. In his short time at this level, the Cuban has slashed .389/.409/.444 with two RBI and five runs scored.

Tuesday, Yoán Moncada, Oscar Colás, and Yasmani Grandal combined for three hits.

White Sox sluggers Moncada, Colás, and Grandal combined for 3-for-11 against the Cubs in a 5-3 victory. Colás went 0-for-4 with two strikeouts, while Moncada went 2-for-4 with one RBI and one strikeout. Grandal, on the other hand, went 3-1 with a run scored, a walk, and a strikeout. The three players have been disappointing this season for different reasons, in addition to Chicago's already disappointing roster.