4:49pm: While Gurriel has been on the minor league injured list with the Braves for just over a week now, Romero reports that the veteran is en route to Houston to report to the big league Royals amid their series against the Astros. The Royals did not need to add Gurriel to their 40-man roster upon acquiring him today due to the fact that he was on a minor league deal, but they’ll need to make corresponding moves to add him to the 40-man and active rosters in order to promote him to the majors.
4:19pm: The Royals are acquiring first baseman Yuli Gurriel, according to a report from Francys Romero. Gurriel, 40, has been with the Braves on a minor league contract this year. According to Jon Heyman of the New York Post, the Braves are receiving cash considerations in return for Gurriel’s services. Despite the trade deadline having passed last month, Gurriel was still eligible to be traded because he hasn’t played in the major leagues yet this season. The Royals subsequently announced the move.
Gurriel, 40, has played in the majors each of the last eight seasons after coming over following 15 years in Cuba’s Serie Nacional. Most of the veteran’s time in the majors was spent in Houston, for whom he played first base with occasional cameos at second and third. In seven years with the Astros, Gurriel slashed a solid .284/.328/.448 with a wRC+ of 111. That includes an excellent 2021 season with the club where he hit .319 en route to the AL batting title and earned his only career Gold Glove award. After a down 2022 season, Gurriel departed the Astros (who replaced him at first base with an ill-fated contract for Jose Abreu) but found a roster spot in Miami as a part-time first baseman and DH.
The veteran’s time in Miami did not produce the bounceback season he was surely hoping for, as Gurriel slashed just .245/.304/.359 (76 wRC+) with a career-high 13.4% strikeout rate and a career-worst .114 isolated slugging percentage. A second straight difficult season left Gurriel unable to find a roster spot ahead of his age-40 season, leaving him to catch on with Atlanta back in April. With the club’s Triple-A affiliate in Gwinnett, Gurriel has looked impressive with a .292/.378/.495 slash line with 12 homers, 18 doubles, and a triple in just 333 trips to the plate this year.
Amid injuries around the Braves infield to Austin Riley and Ozzie Albies and that strong performance, the Braves even began to experiment with Gurriel at second and third base as they seemingly toyed with the possibility of a big league call-up for the veteran, though big league deals for Whit Merrifield and Gio Urshela closed the doors to joining the major league club in fairly short order. While Gurriel won’t make the majors with the Braves this year, another door has now opened up for the veteran as he searches for an opening to participate in his ninth major league season. Much like the Braves, the Royals also lost a key piece of their infield mix to injury recently when first baseman Vinnie Pasquantino suffered a broken thumb that Kansas City announced yesterday will sideline him for six to eight weeks.
That leaves a young Royals club that’s surging toward what would be their first playoff appearance since their World Series championship back in 2015 without one of their top hitters, and while the team added veterans Tommy Pham and Robbie Grossman to their outfield mix earlier today those moves did little to shore up first base. Gurriel does just that by adding a longtime veteran at the position to the fold, offering them additional depth and a contact-oriented bat at the position down the stretch. The Royals have been relying on a combination of Nick Loftin and veteran backstop Salvador Perez on days where he isn’t behind the plate to take over for Pasquantino since he went on the shelf.
For those who root for the Royals, this is a positive development if he has anything left.
He’s been hitting pretty well in AAA.
I work at CoolRay Field where the Gwinnett Stripers play and have seen Yuli practice and play. He was a great influence and held his own. He made some great plays at first and at times a good hitter.
I wish him well and I am glad to see him back in the big leagues.
Go Stripers!
The Gwynneth Paltrow strippers? Were Coldplay and Tommy Pham there?
It’s funny a few days ago Astros were cheaters when Vinny went down and now Yuli, 2017 World Champion, is welcomed with open arms.
I still don’t like Yuli, doesn’t mean him being on the team prevents me from rooting for my team
Those extra flexible principles are very convenient.
I appreciate that this is at least a serious attempt to patch a bad situation. If he could even give them replacement level production and not be an easy out it would be helpful.
A RH bat against LH pitching.
I know he’s 40, but couldn’t they get a pitching prospect or any prospect? The way the Braves have dealt with injuries it seems he would be an insurance policy in case of another injury, rather than ¿”Cash Considerations”?!? WTF?
KC playing Astros this weekend, but play the Braves last 3 games of the season! Could Yuli end up knocking the Braves out of the playoffs in the last game for ¿”Cash Considerations”!?
Braves did not need gurriel at all because Olson has been himself again, and other teams wouldn’t want to send nothing for a 40 year old
Teams would’ve acquired Joey votto if they wanted a 40 year old first baseman
Also depends on other teams being willing to give up a pitching prospect in return for him, which isn’t happening.
Giving up anything of value for a 40 year old first basemen coming off 2 bad years is a fireable offense, why would anyone give you a pitching prospect for him?
I think one thing we forget that is an unwritten rule in baseball that if someone is in the minors like this and there is a big league roster spot they usually do things like this to help the player.
Also helps the Braves in the off season as if someone signs a minor league contract and a opportunity with another club comes up they know Atlanta will let them have it.
you want more for a 1 month rental player who is 40? This move is a reward to the player MiLB season is over and he wasn’t gonna play with the Braves.
This move makes more sense than the Pham/Grossman acquisitions as at least Gurriel can play 1B
I think Pham was a shot in the dark on the waiver wire, and Grossman was a more sure thing. They landed both. Yuli is a welcome addition and good looking been there done that veteran with something left to prove. He might be the lighting in a bottle the Royals will need to catch, in order to make a serious run.
How are Pham and grossman bad additions? The royals storyline all season has been their bad outfield production!
They aren’t, however as a positional need neither play 1B. In reality the Royals may have lucked out being able to get all three
In regards to 2017, I’m over trashgate. Gurriel’s comments and gestures when referring to Darvish, not so much.
He did get a suspension and he apologized personally to Darvish, who forgave him. Coming from Cuba he didn’t think it would be that offensive more of just a joke. He’s a quality person. If Yu can forgive him, maybe you should too.
What Gurriel did was a hundred times worse than anything Anthony Bass or Curt Schilling “did”. And Darvish’s forgiving him just speaks volumes about Yu’s class and not that we should pooh-pooh Gurriel’s disgusting action.
so you’ve never made fun of anyone in your life? don’t act like your a saint, literally all he did was make his eyes look like an Asians eyes. “disgusting act”? really? lmao.
low risk, high reward signing for the Royals. love it.
Good for the Royals fans glad this small market team is committed to doing all they can to put the best team out they can for the fans
Julio Franco 2.0?
In my opinion, not quite. Julio Franco played in the big leagues until he was like 46 and finished with pretty good numbers. Yuli’s getting there if he keeps producing though.
Julio also squeezed in some time in the Mexican, Japanese, and I think Korean leagues. Sonic not holding Yuli’s time in Cuba against him if he does want to make a run at playing past Franco’s age.
Rich hill is this years Julio Franco, wait Jamie Moyer sounds better for pitchers
@Warden
Julio was 48 when he finished. What a player.
Well done, I hope Yuli rakes. He’s played well all year at Gwinnett,
I wish there had been an opportunity for him at the Braves, but they only looked at him for 1st base until it was too late, and then they started giving him reps at 3rd when Riley got hurt, .860 ops at Gwinnett and decent slug .485 and obp .378
He could’ve been added to the Braves roster as a PH for the post if they make it. Now he might have the chance to do damage against the Braves in the final 3 days of the season-hope not.
Wonder if he got over his racism problem?
I have some news for you. If you ever travel the world, you will soon discover the whole world is racist to varying degrees. It stems from centuries of tribalism and mistrust of those who are foreign to you.
Take that yu!
Houston loves Yuli, he will get a standing applause when he comes up to bat.
A veritable 21 can salute followed by some side eye in honor of the Asians
Rather impressive a 40 yr old try a positional change to 2B. The guy’s a gamer. Had an excellent 2022 postseason. Wish he’d been retained by Astros rather than the Abreu albatross
Like the move for the Royals, no downside to giving a very good career hitter a shot.
Ever strain yourself getting the absolute last of the toothpaste from the tube?