Astros lose Gurriel to hand surgery, but have plenty of depth to cover first base
It's unknown how long Gurriel will be sidelined, but the team has options
By
Mike Axisa
•
2 min read
The defending World Series champion Houston Astros are expected to be without their regular first baseman for the start of the 2018 regular season.
Yuli Gurriel, who was scratched from Monday's split squad game with what the team called "wrist discomfort," will have surgery Wednesday to remove the hamate bone from his left hand. Gurriel broke the news himself by posting a photo of himself at the hospital. The Astros later announced the successful surgery.
The 33-year-old Gurriel defected from Cuba in 2016 and played his first full MLB season in 2017. He hit .299/.332/.486 (124 OPS+) with 43 doubles and 18 home runs during the regular season, then was one of Houston's top hitters in the postseason, authoring a .304/.342/.522 batting line in 18 October games.
The Astros say Gurriel is "expected to be out of action for approximately six weeks," though the nature of the injury often robs players of hand strength and power once they return. It typically takes several weeks for the player to get back to full speed once he returns to the field. Since the injury happened relatively early in spring training, it's possible Gurriel will be back in the lineup by mid-April.
The Astros are arguably the deepest organization in baseball and they might have more depth at first base than any other position. Their first base depth chart looks something like this at the moment:
- Yuli Gurriel (out with hamate surgery)
- Marwin Gonzalez
- Tyler White
- A.J. Reed
Baseball America ranked Reed as the 72nd best prospect in baseball going into last season. You know you're stacked when you have a recent top 100 prospect fourth on your depth chart at any position. Also, don't sleep on J.D. Davis, who hit .282/.345/.527 with 26 homers in 103 minor league games last year. He's a natural third baseman but has first base experience.
I suppose the Astros could look for a more proven first baseman to replace Gurriel, such as the still unsigned Adam Lind or Mark Reynolds. Lind or Reynolds would fill in at first base while Gurriel is out, allowing Gonzalez to continue his super utility man act. Then, when Gurriel is healthy, Lind or Reynolds could get reps at DH, and also provide first base protection in case Gurriel isn't 100 percent when he returns.
There is a case to be made for signing a free agent first baseman, though given their in-house first base options, it seems likely the Astros will stick with who they have at first base. For all intents and purposes, first base is now up for grabs this spring. Whoever performs the best between White and Reed (and Davis) figures to get the first base job the first few weeks of the season.
Gurriel was suspended for the first five regular season games for making a racist gesture after hitting a home run off Yu Darvish during the World Series. He will not be allowed to serve the suspension while on the disabled list, so one Gurriel is healthy and activated, the five-game ban begins.
