Astros 5-1 in spring
Brad Peacock threw two scoreless innings in Tuesday’s 8-2 win over the Mets.
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — The Astros flew Yuli Gurriel to Houston to get his injured left hand examined, manager A.J. Hinch said Tuesday.
Gurriel had been scratched from a Monday split-squad game against the Marlins in Jupiter, Fla., as a “precautionary” measure, not a “9-1-1” situation, Hinch had said, for what the team called “wrist discomfort.”
The injury turned out to be more serious. Hinch said he did not know what caused the injury or if Gurriel will receive an MRI.
Gurriel will miss the first five games of the season to serve a suspension. If his injury sidelines him for longer, Marwin Gonzalez could fill in at first base, and the roster opening likely could go to J.D. Davis, A.J. Reed or Tyler White.
If Tucker hits .406, he’ll truly be splendid
The Astros are calling top position player prospect Kyle Tucker “Ted” from now on.
The Astros selected Tucker, a 6-4 lefthanded outfielder, fifth overall in the 2015 draft. At 18, he had been compared on TV with Hall of Famer Ted Williams.
“That came out in the morning meeting a few days ago, and the boys took it upon themselves to rename him,” manager A.J. Hinch said. “So he’s going to go by Ted from here on out. They got him a nice nameplate.”
Tucker’s new locker nameplate reads “TED” in black marker. The Astros have not named the prankster who instructed the equipment manager to make the switch.
“He’s not gonna touch it,” Hinch said of Tucker. “He’s not taking that down.”
Similar to Williams — the last qualifying player to hit .400 in a season when he batted .406 in 1941 — Tucker has an efficient swing that starts with his hands close to his body. Homering in consecutive games on Sunday and Monday reinforced a comparison that teammates already were not letting Tucker forget.
“Now he’s just Ted,” outfielder Derek Fisher said. “Ted and only Ted. He’s not Tuck. He’s not Teddy. He’s not Ted Williams.”
Ragging on Tucker, 21, for being compared so early in his career with one of the greatest hitters ever seems flattering and humorous.
“I don’t know where you go from there,” Fisher said. “You don’t really go anywhere once somebody compares you to Ted Williams. You can’t really go much higher than that.”
Fisher furthered the prospect’s resemblance to Williams: “He doesn’t wear batting gloves. That’s the coolest part.”
Upon hearing Fisher blurt his new name, Tucker turned around in his chair, slowly raised his hand, and feigned a sheepish wave.
“I’m fine with it,” Tucker said. “I don’t make a big deal out of anything.”
While teammates joke around, Tucker said with sincerity: “There’s no pressure or anything.”
Tucker showed the power and free-willing tendency of his swing last season, which he finished with Class AA Corpus Christi. He hit .265 with an .837 OPS, 25 home runs and 109 strikeouts. He also stole 21 bases, three shy of Williams’ career total in the majors.
In three spring training games, Tucker is 3-for-7 with two homers and five RBIs.
“The bat-to-ball skills are pretty elite from what we’ve seen,” Hinch said. “Call him whatever you want so long as he keeps homering.”
Hinch is not ready to fully endorse the comparison.
“I never saw Ted play,” he said, “so I don’t know.”