Astros Call Up Gurriel, Gets First Hit

Longtime Cuban star Yulieski Gurriel made his major league debut Sunday at Camden Yards in Baltimore and got his first hit, a solid single to center.

“I wasn’t sure I was going to get my first hit that fast,” Gurriel told The Associated Press. “I will take care of (the ball) and put it away and put in a place that is very special.”

Gurriel, 32, was the DH Sunday, but is expected to see time at third base and in left field, where he has played one game since singing a five-year, $47.5 million contract with the Astros in July.

Gurriel got 56 at-bats across four levels in the Astros organization, slashing .250/.262/.429. He was 4-for-18 at Triple-A Fresno with a home run. His callup follows news that third baseman Luis Valbuena had a setback Saturday in his attempt to return from a strained right hamstring.

Gurriel was 1-for-2 with a walk but left the game in the eighth with tightness in his right hamstring. He is day-to-day.

SCOUTING REPORT

The son of a Cuban baseball superstar, Gurriel was Cuban baseball royalty (no matter how his last name is spelled; it was Gourriel before he left he island). He first starred for the national team as a 19-year-old, teaming with 20-year-old Kendrys Morales to help Cuba win the 2003 baseball World Cup as the host nation. A member of each of Cuba’s three World Baseball Classic entries, he was acknowledged as the best player in Cuba before leaving the island in February as the Cuban team played in the Caribbean World Series in the Dominican Republic.

He won back-to-back MVP awards in Cuba at age 20 and 21, and even this year, after threatening not to play in Serie Nacional, ended up hitting .500/.589/.874 with just three strikeouts in 224 plate appearances with 38 walks and 15 home runs. His prime years might be behind him, but he’s clearly still a skilled offensive player.

Gurriel played third base for Industriales. Listed at 6-foot, 195 pounds, he has lightning-fast hands and classic third base tools with arm strength, body control and plus power. An evaluator who saw him recently said he has outstanding bat speed and power but that his timing will be off for a bit because of rust. At third base, where he might see the majority of his time in the field, he has average range but a plus arm.

WHAT TO EXPECT

With the callup of Alex Bregman, there did not appear to be a fit for Gurriel with the Astros, but the front office was intrigued with adding a veteran bat that could make a quick impact this season. General manager Jeff Luhnow had been enamored of Gurriel since seeing him at an international competition in Amsterdam a decade ago.

Luhnow had targeted a mid-August callup of Gurriel, but that timeline was pushed back to give Gurriel more time to knock off the rust of not playing since February.

The Astros see a path to the playoffs with the second wild card and stand 3 1/2 games back of Baltimore. They are hoping Gurriel’s power and veteran presence will be a spark, particularly in combination with Bregman heating up.