Perhaps he never expected to find himself at the position, but Yuli Gurriel is, at least for the time being, playing second base for the Houston Astros.
On Sunday, Gurriel made his first career start at the position after the Astros placed Jose Altuve on the disabled list, leaving them in need of a short-term fix.
While it was an emergency situation, it was something that the Astros were at least vaguely prepared for.
Yuli Gurriel is playing second base today for the Astros. Situations like this – with both Correa and Altuve on the DL – are why Hinch planned to move Gurriel around in spring training before the first baseman’s hamate injury.
— Jake Kaplan (@jakemkaplan) July 29, 2018
It’s worth noting that Altuve isn’t particularly happy about being on the DL, so Gurriel’s cameo might not be a long-lived one. That probably suits the Astros just fine. Having him capable of doing this work in a pinch is a nice luxury.
