MLB 2024 | Yariel with his best outing of the season; Yordan hit his 17th homer; Iglesias also homered in win; Yanquiel's progress in the Minor Leagues is ongoing

Cuban Players News for the 2024 Major League Baseball season. A compilation of several sources

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Yariel Rodríguez limited the Astros to one run and two hits over 6 2/3 innings in a tough loss Monday.

Yariel Rodríguez (0-3) took the loss Monday versus Houston, allowing one run on two hits and two walks over 6.2 innings. He struck out six. The 27-year-old rookie pocketed his first career quality start in his longest outing of the season. Yariel generated 13 whiffs out of his 83 pitches to produce six punchouts. The Toronto right-hander's ERA now stands at 4.63 across 23.1 innings with 23:13 K:BB. With this performance, Yariel is likely to draw another start over Bowden Francis. He currently lines up to make his next appearance against Seattle on the road this weekend.

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Yordan Alvarez hits his 17th home run in win.

Yordan Alvarez went 1-for-3 with a two-run homer and a walk in Monday's 3-1 victory over the Blue Jays. The Houston designated hitter provided two insurance runs by launching a 397-foot homer off Zach Pop in the ninth inning to extend the Astros' lead to 3-0. Alvarez has opened July nicely on the tails of a scorching June in which he hit .349 (30-for-86) with seven homers, 19 RBI and 20 runs scored. The 27-year-old's been the heart and soul of the Houston lineup this season, as expected, slashing .294/.372/.528 in 352 total plate appearances.

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José Iglesias homered in 6-run 10th inning.

In a six-run 10th inning, José Iglesias hit a home run, helping the New York Mets secure a 9-7 victory over the Washington Nationals on Monday night. The win spoiled the major league debut of highly anticipated outfield prospect James Wood. Iglesias went 1-for-5 with two RBIs and one run scored. During his last 11 games, Iglesias has batted 8-for-22, with plate appearances in only eight of those matches. In 48 plate appearances this season, he has a batting average of .400, along with nine RBI, seven runs, one stolen base, and four doubles. Iglesias is primarily competing for playing time at second base, where he is currently part of a platoon with Jeff McNeil. McNeil, who has been hitting .221 for the season and .211 in June, is currently receiving more playing time than Iglesias.

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Yanquiel Fernández continues to showcase his strength in the Minor Leagues.

Colorado Rockies outfield prospect Yanquiel Fernández continued his strong season by going 2-for-5 with a pair of runs and a two-run home run on Monday. Fernández, 21, is the 67th ranked prospect per MLB Pipeline rankings and he has backed that up by hitting .269 with seven home runs and 39 RBI over 219 at-bats this season. Fernández offers tons of raw power from the left side of the plate, but still needs to work on his aggressiveness at the plate. The outfielder's power is likely to translate in a big way at Coors Field when he eventually makes his big-league debut, which could come as soon as 2025.

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