When many thought it was impossible, the star Cuban baseball player Yulieski Gurriel is returning to Major League Baseball (MLB), and the other great news is that he will see action this Sunday as 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 “El Yuli” is placed behind catcher Freddy Fermín and ahead of third baseman Maikel García, for a game -which will start at 2:10pm- against the team that opened the doors to the “Big Show”: Houston Astros.
Gurriel, a legend of baseball from the island, will play his first game in the 2024 MLB season after a solid campaign with Gwinnett, the Triple-A team of the Atlanta Braves, with an average of .292, 12 home runs, 48 RBIs, and an OPS of .863.
We are talking about a 40-year-old man who aspires to continue shining in the "Big Top" after winning two World Series rings with the Astros, a batting title, and a Gold Glove in 2021.
The Royals urgently needed an emergency replacement for first base after Vinnie Pasquantino's injury, who broke a finger and will be out for six to eight weeks.
According to Oncuba, such a situation and the fact that Atlanta did not plan to promote Gurriel to MLB despite the injuries of several of their infield players led to the movement of the Cuban player to the Royals, enticed by his good performance this season in Triple-A.
With Gurriel's rise, Cuba reached the number of 33 players in Major Leagues this season, matching the record set in 2022.
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