Jays put call in for Gurriel, keep Hernandez

The Blue Jays made a call to Double-A New Hampshire for an infielder Friday. Not for Vladimir Guerrero Jr. or Bo Bichette, mind you, but for Cuban prospect Lourdes Gurriel Jr.

He was one of four players on the move: designated hitter Kendrys Morales came off the 10-day disabled list, Gurriel arrived from New Hampshire, and lefthanded reliever Tim Mayza and backup infielder Gift Ngoepe were optioned to Triple-A Buffalo. And there was one more that stayed: outfielder Tesocar Hernandez, whose status was uncertain with Morales having mended a strained right hamstring.

It was an indication that the Jays, off to a 12-6 start, aren’t simply settling with what they have. As manager John Gibbons said when asked about Hernandez earlier in the week, “You want to throw your best team out there, don’t you?”

Well, Gurriel isn’t Guerrero or Bichette, but he was hitting .347 in 12 games with the Fisher Cats, a big jump from the .221 average he mustered in an injury-plagued minor-league season last year. And Gurriel was already making big-league money — the 24-yearold signed a seven-year, $22-million major-league deal before last season — so why not bring him up to replace a failing Ngoepe?

The brother of Houston Astros first baseman Yuli Gurriel — they defected together in 2016 — Lourdes Gurriel was injured early last season and never got untracked. But a fine showing at the Arizona Fall League and his fast start in the Eastern League led to the promotion.

“I spent a lot of time on the DL last year and I’ve recovered,” Gurriel said earlier this year. “I feel like I’ve caught up from the time I lost. I just concentrate on playing the game so I don’t know what the plans are for me reaching the big leagues.”

Now he knows. And he can share the achievement with his brother. “From the time we were together growing up, I always looked up to my brother because he was a big hitter in Cuba. Talking about (Houston’s) World Series, that’s one of the biggest things that can happen to a player in the big leagues. My brother told me that getting to that point takes a lot of sacrifice.”

Why Gurriel and why now? Once the Jays decided that perhaps Ngoepe was the Gift that did not keep on giving, they needed a replacement middle infielder and one that could play at least an average major-league shortstop. Shipping Ngoepe to the minors left just Aledmys Diaz, Devon Travis and Yangervis Solarte up the middle.

So while Gurriel had been playing second base for the Fisher Cats, allowing for Bichette to play short, he had demonstrated enough in the past to show he could fill in for Diaz if needed. And he can start at second base.

Friday’s roster moves also answered the immediate question of whether or not Hernandez would stay with the big-league team when Morales returned.