When many thought it was impossible, the fantastic Cuban baseball player Yulieski Gurriel returns to the Major League Baseball (MLB) and the other great news is that he will take the field this Sunday as the seventh in the lineup and designated hitter for his new team, the Kansas City Royals.
At the last minute, the franchise announced its lineup – published on ESPN – and there is “El Yuli”, behind catcher Freddy Fermín and in front of third baseman Maikel García, for a game – which will begin at 2:10 p.m. – against the selection that opened the doors to the “Big Show”: the Houston Astros.
Gurriel, an Island baseball legend, will play his first game of the 2024 MLB season after a solid campaign with the Gwinnett, Triple-A Atlanta Braves, posting a .292 average, 12 home runs, 48 runs batted in and an .863 OPS.
We are talking about a 40-year-old man, who aspires to continue shining in the “Big Carp” after winning two World Series rings with the Astros, a batting title and a Gold Glove in 2021.
The Royals were in dire need of an emergency replacement at first base after Vinnie Pasquantino suffered a broken finger and will be out six to eight weeks.
According to Oncuba, this situation and the fact that Atlanta had no plans to call Gurriel to the MLB despite the injuries of several players in its roster, accelerated the transfer of the Antillean to the Royals, attracted by his good performance this season in Triple-A.
With Gurriel’s rise, Cuba has reached 33 players in the major leagues this season, tying the record set in 2022.
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2024-09-01 22:40:55