MLB 2025 | Soler hits a home run in win; Iglesias' struggles persist; Luis Robert delivers a strong performance; Cionel has a disastrous outing; Lourdes with a multi-hit game; Yordan making progress
BaseballdeCuba- 10 hours ago
- 5 min read
Cuban Players News for the 2025 Major League Baseball season. A compilation of several sources.
Jorge Soler hits a home run in Friday's victory.
Jorge Soler went 1-for-3 with a solo home run and scored an additional run in Friday's 7-4 victory over the Marlins. Soler hadn't hit a home run since May 1, but he provided an insurance run in the eighth inning of this game. During that stretch without a home run, Soler had a .194 batting average and a .242 slugging percentage over 17 games, with a 9:19 walk-to-strikeout ratio. The 33-year-old now has seven home runs, 19 RBIs, 20 runs scored, 10 doubles, and a .227/.301/.407 slash line in 47 games this season as the Angels' main designated hitter. He's also played some games in right field, adding competition for Jo Adell's playing time.
Raisel Iglesias suffers defeat against San Diego.
Raisel Iglesias (3-4) took the loss against the Padres on Friday after giving up a solo home run in the ninth inning, despite striking out one batter. He did not walk any batters. Iglesias was assigned to maintain the 1-1 tie, but that plan was quickly thwarted when he surrendered a solo homer to Manny Machado. This season has been unstable for Iglesias, who has allowed at least one earned run in five of his last seven appearances, resulting in a 5.75 ERA, 1.33 WHIP, and 21:4 K:BB over 20.1 innings. His recent struggles might lead manager Brian Snitker to consider other options for the closer role. Pierce Johnson and Dylan Lee are current bullpen alternatives, or Snitker might look at veteran Craig Kimbrel, who is currently with Triple-A Gwinnett after signing a minor-league contract with Atlanta in March.
On Friday against the Rangers, Luis Robert Jr. recorded a hit in four at-bats, scored a run, stole a base, and had an RBI.
The White Sox secured a victory in this game without any extra-base hits by persistently battling through each at-bat against Tyler Mahle. Luis Robert Jr. contributed to their significant rally in the third inning with an RBI single and later added the final run in the bottom of the sixth, shortly after the Rangers scored their sole run. Despite his low batting average of .180, he has 18 stolen bases, tying him for the league lead.
José Iglesias recorded a hit on Friday.
On Friday night, the Padres defeated the Braves 2-1. José Iglesias played at second base and had a 1-for-3 performance. Recently, Iglesias has been seeing more action, going 5-for-13 (.385) with two runs scored over his last five games. For the season, he has a .243/.291/.282 batting line with 10 RBIs, despite playing a limited role.
Cionel Pérez had another disastrous performance.
Cionel Pérez is currently pitching as poorly as the Orioles are performing. In a 19-5 defeat to the Red Sox, during which the Orioles gave up 13 runs in the eighth inning, Cionel pitched one inning and allowed five earned runs. The major blow against him was a three-run homer by Rob Refsnyder, which increased the Red Sox's lead to 11-3. Overall, Cionel threw 34 pitches, gave up four hits, issued two walks for five runs, and did not record any strikeouts. I wouldn't be surprised if he's sent down to the Minors after a dreadful 2025 season, where he has an ERA of 8.31 over 21 2/3 innings with no holds in 19 games.
Adolis García moved down to eighth in the Rangers lineup.
Adolis García's season is currently not going well. The strong Cuban outfielder was moved down to eighth in the Rangers lineup for Friday's game. The Rangers lost 4-1 to the White Sox, and Adolis went 0-for-3, which dropped his slash line over the last seven games to a mere .083/.154/.083, with no home runs, no RBIs, and 10 strikeouts.
Andy Pagés delivered a performance with two RBIs.
In the Dodgers' 7-5 victory over the Mets in 13 innings on Friday, Andy Pagés went 1-for-5 with two RBIs. Pagés' first RBI came in the fifth inning with a single to left field, extending the Dodgers' lead to 5-2. In the top of the 13th inning, he hit a fly ball that resulted in a double play but allowed Teoscar Hernández to score the final run of the game. After the umpires reviewed the play, Pagés was credited with an RBI. He now has 29 RBIs, tying with Lourdes Gurriel Jr. for the lead among Cuban players.
Yandy Díaz hitless on Friday.
Yandy Díaz went hitless on Friday in a 3-1 win against the Blue Jays. Yandy went 0-for-4 with two strikeouts. He is borderline to a 2.50 batting average and with his Thursday's homer has 7 and 27 RBIs for the year.
Miguel Vargas played as the first baseman for the White Sox on Friday night against the Rangers.
With Andrew Vaughn and Tim Elko both sent to Triple-A Charlotte on Friday, Vargas is expected to take on most of the first base duties for the White Sox. In his recent game, Vargas went 0-for-3 with an RBI walk, and two strikeouts. He has significantly improved following a tough start to the season, posting a .246/.321/.522 slash line with five home runs and 13 RBI since May began.
Edgar Quero didn't get any hits on Friday.
The White Sox defeated the Rangers 4-1 on Friday night, with Edgar Quero going 0-for-4 in the game. Quero took on catching responsibilities, and the 22-year-old promising star is now facing the realities of the Majors. Offensively, he has been struggling, posting a slash line of just .100/.143/.100 over his last seven games, with only two hits and one RBI. In his rookie season, Quero is contributing more than enough for a White Sox team without any pressure to advance further this season.
Lourdes Gurriel Jr. achieved a game with multiple hits.
Lourdes Gurriel Jr. achieved a 2-for-4 performance in the D-backs' 4-3 loss to the Cardinals. This marked his eighth multi-hit game in May, a month where he has excelled offensively with a slash line of .295/.360/.551, including 4 home runs and 14 RBIs. Overall, he ranks second in home runs (8) and is tied for first in RBIs (29) among Cuban players this year.
Randy Arozarena recorded a single hit.
Randy Arozarena had one hit in four at-bats and struck out once during the Mariners' 5-3 win over the Astros on Friday. Lately, Arozarena's performance at the plate has declined, as he has a .207/.258/.345 line with just one home run, one RBI, and no stolen bases over his last seven games.
Yordan Álvarez is making progress in recovering from his injury.
Yordan Álvarez practiced with a pitching machine in the batting cage and took part in baseball drills on the field Friday, as reported by Brian McTaggart of MLB.com. Yordan has been on the 10-day injured list since May 5 due to inflammation in his right hand. His recovery has taken longer than initially expected, and there's no definite timeline for his return. However, Álvarez might not require a rehab assignment before coming off the IL. Before his injury, he was slashing .210/.306/.340 with one steal, three home runs, and 18 RBI in 121 plate appearances.
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