Former member of two World Series-winning Houston Astros teams is presently with the Atlanta Braves.
Yuli Gurriel, the former batting champion of the Houston Astros, has signed a minor-league contract with the Atlanta Braves, according to MLB.com.
Gurriel ought to be sent to Triple-A Gwinnett, where he will attempt to regain the form that helped the Houston Astros capture the American League hitting title in 2021.
Gurriel entered free agency following his lone season with the Miami Marlins and failed to find a taker this offseason. For the Braves, who have Marcell Ozuna at designated hitter and Matt Olson at first base, Gurriel’s spots are fixed, thus this is a low-risk deal. Gurriel might get called up if one of them gets hurt.
For Gurriel, who has lost his power production over the last two seasons, the timing might be favorable. Despite playing 108 games, he only hit eight home runs for the Astros in 2022 and four for Miami in 2023.
At thirty-two, he decamped from his native Cuba and spent two seasons with the Yokohama DeNA BayStars before making his major league debut with the Astros in 2016. With a career-high 31 home runs and 104 RBI in 2019, he was a highly productive member of the Astros lineup from 2017 to 2121.
In addition to hitting 15 home runs and 81 RBI in 2021, he won his sole batting title by batting.319 at the plate. That season, he also took home a Gold Glove.
He played in the World Series with the Astros in both 2017 and 2022. After 2022, the Astros gave him permission to test the waters of free agency.
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