MLB 2025 | Pagés hits his 20th home run; Iglesias achieves his 19th save; Yariel and Morejón delivered scoreless performances; Gurriel Jr. hits his 16th homer; Yandy reaches 71 RBIs; Update on Yordan
- BaseballdeCuba
- Aug 18
- 5 min read
Cuban Players News for the 2025 Major League Baseball season. A compilation of several sources.
Andy Pagés hits his 20th home run.
Andy Pagés went 2-for-3 with a solo home run in Sunday's 5-4 victory over the Padres. He had been in an 0-for-9 slump over the previous three games. Pagés broke the slump early with a first-inning solo home run off Yu Darvish, reaching the 20-homer milestone. This was his first home run since July 22, suggesting he might have been overthinking while trying to achieve this mark. This season, he's posted a .277/.322/.461 slash line with 70 RBIs, 53 runs scored, 12 stolen bases, 20 doubles, and one triple over 120 games.
Raisel Iglesias secures his 19th save.
Raisel Iglesias allowed a hit in a scoreless inning and earned a save against Cleveland on Sunday. He struck out two batters. Iglesias threw 12 of his 17 pitches for strikes and effectively managed the Guardians in the ninth inning. After Bob Naylor hit a leadoff single, Iglesias retired the next three batters in a row. He has successfully achieved eight consecutive saves during his current 11-inning scoreless streak. This season, he has a 4.01 ERA with a 57:10 K:BB ratio over 51.2 innings. Iglesias has converted 19 saves out of 24 opportunities.
Miguel Vargas and Edgar Quero collectively achieved three hits.
On Sunday, Miguel Vargas and Edgar Quero collectively achieved three hits during the White Sox's 6-2 defeat against the Royals. Vargas managed to get on base twice, finishing 1-for-4 with a walk and two strikeouts. Quero, on the other hand, had a strong performance with two hits in four at-bats and an RBI, while playing regularly as catcher. Since the All-Star Game, Quero has enhanced his offensive stats, now boasting a .304/.338/.493 line with three home runs and 10 RBIs. Meanwhile, Vargas has accumulated 94 hits this season, maintaining a .701 OPS with 13 home runs and 44 RBIs.
Yariel Rodríguez delivers a performance without allowing any runs.
Yariel Rodríguez delivered another scoreless performance in the Blue Jays' 10-4 defeat against the Rangers. He pitched one inning, throwing 17 pitches (9 strikes), allowing one walk without any strikeouts or hits. This outing reduced his ERA to 3.10 for the season, with a 52:24 SO:BB ratio over 51 games and 58 innings. The right-hander has had an impressive year, maintaining a batting average against of just .183, a 2-0 record, and achieving 13 saves in two of three opportunities in 2025.
Yandy Díaz reaches 71 RBIs.
During the Rays' 7-1 defeat against the Giants, Yandy Díaz recorded one hit in four at-bats, struck out once, and contributed an RBI. This RBI was the sole run for his team in the game, bringing his season total to 71, the highest among Cuban players. Yandy also tops the list of Cuban players in hits this year with 133, while sustaining an impressive .283/.344/.462 slash line and hitting 20 home runs in another outstanding season.
Víctor Mederos given another start.
Víctor Mederos is scheduled to start Monday's game against the Reds in Anaheim. Despite a lackluster performance in his first major league start last Tuesday, Mederos will have another opportunity in the rotation. The right-hander did not factor into the decision against the Dodgers, pitching four innings with three strikeouts, while giving up three hits and three walks. He is tentatively set for a two-start week, but a subpar outing against the Reds might lead the Angels to consider other options when his turn arrives on Sunday against the Cubs.
Lourdes Gurriel Jr. hits his 16th home run.
Lourdes Gurriel Jr. recorded one hit in five at-bats, including a home run, one RBI, and a run scored in Sunday's 6-5 defeat to the Rockies. This homer brought his season total to 16. The left fielder hit two home runs and drove in seven runs during the series against Colorado. Over his last 15 games, he's batting .233 (14-for-60) with four homers and 18 of his 66 RBIs for the season.
Adrián Morejón did not allow any runs against the Dodgers. José Iglesias delivers a game-tying RBI.
Adrián Morejón (9-4) delivered another scoreless performance on Sunday during the Padres' 5-4 defeat to the Dodgers. He pitched a flawless 1 1/3 innings with an impressive 13 pitches, 11 of which were strikes. Starter Yu Darvish lasted only 4 innings, and Morejón stepped in with two Dodgers on base and two outs in the sixth inning. The left-hander escaped the situation by striking out Alex Call, then pitched a scoreless seventh inning with one strikeout. In addition to the nine wins Morejón has accumulated this year—most among MLB relief pitchers—he has maintained a dominant 1.92 ERA and 0.82 WHIP, with a 57:11 K:BB ratio, while recording two saves and 18 holds over 59 appearances covering 56 1/3 innings.
In the same game for the Padres, José Iglesias entered as a pinch hitter for Jake Cronenworth and hit a groundball RBI in the eighth inning, tying the game at 4-4. This was his 28th RBI of the year, achieved in 240 at-bats over 90 games.
Randy Arozarena scored a run in the loss on Sunday.
Randy Arozarena recorded one hit in four at-bats, scored a run, and struck out twice during Sunday's 7-3 defeat against the Mets. The 30-year-old outfielder was also hit by a pitch to start the game. This season, Arozarena is posting a .245/.345/.450 slash line with 23 home runs, 24 stolen bases, 58 RBIs, and 73 runs scored, as he aims to reach the 25/25 milestone for the first time in his career.
Yordan Álvarez might be back by early next week.
General manager Dana Brown indicated on Sunday that Yordan Álvarez might be activated from the 60-day injured list sometime during the upcoming weekend. However, it is more probable that the 28-year-old will return when Houston starts a 10-game homestand on August 26, according to Chandler Rome of The Athletic. Yordan is set to begin a rehab assignment with Double-A Corpus Christi on Tuesday, marking his first game action since being placed on the IL on May 5 due to a small fracture in his right hand. Despite being out for over three months, Yordan is not expected to need a lengthy rehab stint. The Astros plan for Yordan to be Corpus Christi's designated hitter on Tuesday, rest on Wednesday, and then play consecutive games on Thursday and Friday. After these three games, he will be reassessed. While it's possible he could rejoin the Astros for the last game or two of the weekend series in Baltimore, it's more likely he will remain in Texas before returning to the Houston lineup early next week. Although Yordan's power might be slightly affected by the hand injury, his return is expected to boost the Astros' offense as the season progresses.
Yoán Moncada took Sunday off.
Yoán Moncada was not included in the lineup for Sunday's game against the Athletics. Having started in the previous five games, Moncada took a rest as the Angels conclude their series in Sacramento.
Luis Robert Jr. did not play on Sunday.
Luis Robert Jr. was not in the lineup for Sunday's game against the Royals. Taking a rest day, Robert sat on the bench for the first time since July 26, ending a streak of 18 consecutive starts.
Víctor Mesa Jr. was reactivated from the Triple-A Injured List.
Miami Marlins outfield prospect Víctor Mesa Jr. was reactivated from the Triple-A Jacksonville 7-day injured list on Sunday. The reason for his time on the injured list wasn't specified, but he had dealt with hamstring problems earlier in the year, which might have continued. Nonetheless, he seems to have fully recovered and was set to return to play for the Jumbo Shrimp in Sunday's game against the Norfolk Tides. The 23-year-old ended last season as the Marlins' fourth-ranked prospect but has since dropped out of the top 30. Despite this, he made his major league debut in May, achieving one hit in 10 at-bats for the major league team. In Triple-A, the Cuban posted a .262/.322/.423 slash line over 37 games and is expected to return to the big leagues either this year or next.
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