Astros’ Gurriel says rehab going well
Houston Astros first baseman Yuli Gurriel said Monday that he is scheduled to return to the big leagues Friday.
The 33-year-old infielder was placed on the 10-day disabled list April 3 after he had surgery on his left hand to repair his hamate bone, which is a wedge-shaped carpal bone at the base of the pinkie.
Gurriel had surgery on the hand Feb. 28.
“[It’s] better,” said Gurriel, who has hit 8 for 17 (.471) with
3 RBI since being sent to Class
AA Corpus Christi on
April 5 for a rehab assignment.
“Last week, there was a little pain from the swing, but I feel good now.”
Gurriel went 2 for 5 with two doubles as the Hooks lost 8-3 Monday night against the Arkansas Travelers at Dickey-Stephens Park in North Little Rock. He went 2 for 4 with an RBI single that began the Hooks’ five-run ninth inning in a 7-5 Sunday loss to the Travs.
“Not the same obviously as starting the season out in the big leagues, but I’m starting to get accustomed to it,” Gurriel said of his minor-league stint.
The Astros have gone 9-2 without Gurriel in the lineup — Marwin Gonzalez is batting .200 as the primary first base — and the team is scheduled to start a fourgame series at the Seattle
Mariners on Friday night.
“Maybe four days more,” Gurriel said. “I’ll be ready for the big leagues.”
The Astros placed Gurriel on the disabled list after he served a five-game suspension at the start of the season for an offensive gesture he made in the dugout after hitting a home run off Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Yu Darvish in Game 3 of the World Series.
Gurriel was televised placing his fingers near his temples and mouthing the work “chinito,” which is a slang term in Spanish used in reference to Asian races and cultures.
Darvish released a statement after the game that said, “No one is perfect. That includes both you and I. What he had done today isn’t right, but I believe we should put our effort into learning rather than to accuse him.”
Gurriel released a statement the day afterward, which said, “I sincerely apologize to everyone that I offended with my actions. I deeply regret it. I would particularly like to apologize to Yu Darvish, a pitcher that I admire and respect. I would also like to apologize to the Dodgers organization, the Astros, Major League Baseball and to all fans across the game.”