MLB Player News

Gurriel (hamstring) is in the lineup for Friday's matchup against Tampa Bay.

Gurriel will hit sixth and serve as Houston's DH on Friday night. Since joining the big club, Gurriel has played in three games and gone 1-for-4 with a walk. He'll go up against Drew Smyly and the Rays on Friday night.

Gurriel (hamstring) remains out of the lineup Wednesday against the Pirates, Jake Kaplan of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Gurriel sustained the injury during his major league debut Sunday, but he's logged just one at-bat -- as a pinch hitter in Monday's game -- since. The hope is that he can return to the lineup within the next few days, and his next opportunity will come Friday, when the Astros open a three-game home set against the Rays.

Abreu went 2-for-3 with a walk, a home run and three RBI in Tuesday's win over the Phillies.

Abreu has homered in three straight games and is on absolute fire in August. He has hits in 18 of 19 games this month and now has six home runs to go with five doubles. His batting line for August is up to a robust .373/.427/.680 as he is reminding pitchers why he was one of baseball's most feared hitters in 2014 and 2015.

Gurriel (hamstring) is not in Tuesday's lineup against the Pirates, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.

Although it was expected that Gurriel would be starting Tuesday, his return to the Astros lineup will have to wait. In the two games that Gurriel has played since joining Houston, he's 1-for-3 with a walk. In the meantime, Gurriel should be considered day-to-day heading into Wednesday's outing against Pittsburgh.

Santana hit a solo home run in a 1-for-3 game with a walk in Monday's win over Oakland.

The blast was Santana's 27th, tying a career high he set in both 2011 and 2014. His home run provided the only run scored by either team in Monday's game as Santana's career best power season continues to lift up Cleveland. Santana now has a .477 slugging percentage, 20 points better than his previous high set in 2011.

Gurriel (hamstring) is available from the bench for Monday's game against the Pirates, Jake Kaplan of the Houston Chronicle reports.

It appears that Gurriel's hamstring injury isn't too major, as he's available to play Monday if needed and he's expected to start at third base or in left field for Tuesday's game against Pittsburgh. Over 15 games with Houston's minor league affiliates, Gurriel posted a .250/.262/.429 line with two home runs and 14 RBI.

Gurriel (hamstring) is not in the lineup Monday against the Pirates, Jake Kaplan of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Gurriel made his major league debut Sunday, starting as the designated hitter before being removed in the eighth inning due to tightness in his hamstring. The Astros are considering Gurriel day-to-day, and it's unclear if his absence from the lineup Monday is for injury or schematic reasons with the game taking place in an NL park. Manager A.J. Hinch indicated that Gurriel will be available off the bench Monday, and he'll likely return to the starting lineup Tuesday at either third base or left field.

Gurriel's MLB debut ended on a low note, as he was removed from Sunday's game against the Orioles in the eighth inning due to tightness in his right hamstring, MLB.com's Brian McTaggart reports.

Batting sixth and serving as the designated hitter, Gurriel had a hard-hit single, a walk and a groundout in his three plate appearances, but was then replaced by Tony Kemp. Gurriel said he may be fine for Monday's game in Pittsburgh, but Astros manager A.J. Hinch hinted that the 32-year-old Cuban slugger could be held out of the lineup even if he's healthy enough to play, according to MLB.com's Brian McTaggart. While expected to be a regular member of the starting lineup, Gurriel may be squeezed out during Houston's upcoming three-game series in an NL ballpark. It's still unclear how this will all work out from a defensive perspective, as Gurriel only played third base and second base over the past decade in the Cuban and Japanese leagues. 22-year-old top prospect Alex Bregman is capable of playing left field, but it's tough to justify a move from third base to a non-premium position, given that he's yet to make an error in 24 starts at the hot corner. Gurriel may just end up getting most of his at-bats as the DH, with Evan Gattis then playing more left field and/or catcher. Looking beyond this season, the Astros will probably want Gurriel to play left field and/or first base.

Gurriel went 1-for-2 with a walk in his MLB debut Sunday against Baltimore.

He was ultimately lifted for a pinch hitter, but this was a solid debut for the 32-year-old Cuban, who started at DH and singled to center for his first hit in the big leagues. Gurriel didn't hit particularly well in the high minors (albeit in a small sample), but still advanced to the Astros pretty quickly after being signed about five weeks ago. Of course, his last season in Cuba was absolutely insane, as he hit .500 with 15 homers and a 38:3 BB:K in 49 games, which is about as clear a sign as you'll see that a guy's ready for higher-level competition.

Abreu went 1-for-4 with a solo homer - his 16th of the season - and two runs against the Athletics on Sunday.

After seeing his batting average dip as low as .237 on June 1, Abreu has steadily increased it over the last three months and he's now hitting .283. After a fantastic rookie campaign in 2014 in which he posted a .964 OPS, he's seen that number fall significantly in each of the last two seasons.