Major League Baseball honored Blue Jays infielder Lourdes Gurriel Jr. and Nationals outfielder Juan Soto on Thursday as July's American and National League Rookies of the Month.
Gurriel made the most of his playing time last month after a June sojourn to Triple-A Buffalo, slashing .423/.438/.648 for a 1.086 OPS that ranked ninth among all Major League players with at least 50 plate appearances. That included a breathtaking stretch from July 11-29, during which Gurriel rattled off 11 straight multi-hit games to set a Blue Jays franchise mark and become the seventh player since 1900 -- and the first since Hall of Famer Tony Perez in '73 -- to record such a streak.