The Royals introduced a flurry of roster strikes this morning, headlined by the membership deciding on the contract of infielder Yuli Gurriel. The membership acquired Gurriel in a money commerce with the Braves yesterday. Additionally added to the membership’s energetic roster had been outfielders Tommy Pham and Robbie Grossman, each of whom had been claimed off waivers by Kansas Metropolis yesterday, and right-hander Alec Marsh, who was recalled from Triple-A Omaha. In corresponding strikes, left-hander Anthony Veneziano was designated for project whereas infielder Nick Loftin and outfielder Tyler Gentry had been each optioned to Triple-A.
Gurriel, 40, is returning to the majors for his ninth large league season. The veteran infielder first got here to the large leagues at age-32 as a member of the Astros after a 15-year tenure in Cuba’s Serie Nacional and spent the primary seven seasons of his profession with the Astros. The 2-time World Sequence champion slashed a good .284/.328/.448 throughout his time in Houston and loved a standout season in 2021 the place he earned the AL Gold Glove at first base and led his league in batting common with a .319 determine.
Since that wonderful 2021 marketing campaign, Gurriel’s efficiency within the large leagues has been lackluster. He’s taken 913 journeys to the plate because the begin of the 2022 season with the Astros and Marlins, and in that point he’s hit simply .243/.294/.359 with a wRC+ of 82 throughout that point. That’s nicely beneath par for even a part-time first baseman within the majors, so it wasn’t precisely a shock when Gurriel needed to accept a minor league take care of the Braves again in April after failing to safe an enormous league roster spot over the offseason. Fortuitously for the veteran, nevertheless, he excelled with the membership on the Triple-A stage and slashed a wonderful .292/.378/.495 in 333 plate appearances with the membership’s affiliate at Gwinnett.
That sturdy efficiency opened the door for Gurriel to make it again to the large leagues, albeit not with the group for whom he put up these numbers. The lack of Vinnie Pasquantino for the rest of the common season left the Royals with a transparent gap to fill at first base and led them to amass Gurriel yesterday, simply earlier than the deadline so as to add a participant to your group to ensure that them to have postseason eligibility. Gurriel now figures to get the lion’s share of taking part in time at first base down the stretch, although it’s attainable that franchise face Salvador Perez may nonetheless combine in on the place occasionally when Freddy Fermin is behind the plate.
The Royals are certainly hoping for a stable month of manufacturing from Gurriel, however even the lackluster numbers he posted with the Marlins final 12 months can be an enchancment over Loftin, who had been dealing with first base in current days and has struggled to a .189/.282/.236 slash line this 12 months. Gurriel is joined by veteran outfielders Grossman and Pham as last-minute additions to the Royals roster. Each Pham and Grossman have been roughly league common hitters this 12 months with wRC+ figures of 98 and 92 respectively, however the trio of veterans have loads of postseason expertise underneath their belts and may present management in a younger Royals clubhouse and assist stabilize a lineup that has struggled to provide outdoors of Perez, Fermin, and Bobby Witt Jr. this 12 months.
Making means for Gurriel on the 40-man roster is Veneziano, who’s celebrating his twenty seventh birthday immediately. The lefty made his large league debut final 12 months and has simply 4 1/3 innings of labor underneath his belt on the main league stage, although he’s posted a stable 2.08 ERA with a 3.91 FIP in that restricted time. The lefty’s minor league numbers have left a lot to be desired, nevertheless, as he’s posted a 4.80 ERA in 90 innings of labor on the Triple-A stage this 12 months. That seemingly left Veneziano as an expendable piece within the eyes of Royals brass, who will now have one week to aim to go him by means of waivers. Any staff that claims the lefty received’t have the chance to make use of him within the postseason this 12 months, besides it’s not laborious to think about a rival membership having some curiosity in a lefty with expertise each beginning and relieving and choices remaining, notably if they’ve an eye fixed towards 2025 and past.
