MLB Player News

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.

Freeman was out of Sunday's lineup after receiving a painkiller injection in his right middle finger Saturday night that carries with it a 48-hour recovery, David O'Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports.

Freeman has reportedly been dealing with the finger injury since spring training, but must have been worse than usual following Saturday's game. The injection cost him his first game of the season Sunday and likely leaves his status for Monday's contest questionable as well. Consider the star first baseman day-to-day for the time being.

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.

Gurriel will serve as the designated hitter and hit sixth Sunday in his major-league debut.

Gurriel did not tear the cover off the ball during his stint in the minors, but the Astros are ready to let him show what he can do at the top level. He will likely jump between the DH and third base spots and usually occupy a spot somewhere between fifth and seventh in the batting order.

Howard is in the lineup Sunday against the Cardinals, Stephen Gross of the Morning Call reports.

Tommy Joseph will head back to the bench as Howard gets the nod to start at first and bat cleanup. Howard owns a disappointing .197 batting average for the season, but has hit .345/.387/.776 with seven home runs since the All-Star break.

Freeman is not in the lineup for Sunday's game against the Nationals.

Freeman is riding a 10-game hitting streak and has a good track record against Sunday's opposing starter, Gio Gonzalez, but he also has not had a day off since April 14, so manager Brian Snitker decided to give him one Sunday. Nick Markakis will get the start at first base in Freeman's place.

Votto is out of the lineup for Sunday's outing against the Dodgers, Mark Sheldon of MLB.com reports.

Votto went 2-for-3 with a run and RBI on Saturday, but will give way to Ivan De Jesus at first base Sunday. Votto, who's hitting .409/.517/.727 with two home runs over the last seven games, will likely return to the lineup Monday for the Reds' series finale against Los Angeles.

Bell will make his first big league start at first base Sunday against the Marlins, the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reports.

As a mid-game replacement Saturday, he popped out to center field and played two innings of defense at first base. Following a four-game dalliance with Pittsburgh just prior to the All-Star break, Bell hit .211/.312/.275 in 125 Triple-A plate appearances. With David Freese set to serve as the Bucs' primary third baseman while Jung-Ho Kang (shoulder) recovers, Bell's main competition at first base figures to be John Jaso and Sean Rodriguez. A strong performance Sunday could net him addtional playing time in the coming week.

Gurriel will be recalled from Triple-A and start at DH for Sunday's game against Baltimore, the Houston Chronicle reports.

Gurriel went 4-for-18 with a home run at Triple-A as he had 56 at-bats at four levels of Houston's minor league system as he quickly got ready for the majors after the Cuban defector signed in July. It's not clear if he'll play DH or third base regularly but it's thought he'll be part of the everyday lineup.