MLB Player News

Gurriel (hamstring) is not in Tuesday's lineup against the Pirates, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.

Although it was expected that Gurriel would be starting Tuesday, his return to the Astros lineup will have to wait. In the two games that Gurriel has played since joining Houston, he's 1-for-3 with a walk. In the meantime, Gurriel should be considered day-to-day heading into Wednesday's outing against Pittsburgh.

Santana hit a solo home run in a 1-for-3 game with a walk in Monday's win over Oakland.

The blast was Santana's 27th, tying a career high he set in both 2011 and 2014. His home run provided the only run scored by either team in Monday's game as Santana's career best power season continues to lift up Cleveland. Santana now has a .477 slugging percentage, 20 points better than his previous high set in 2011.

Gurriel (hamstring) is available from the bench for Monday's game against the Pirates, Jake Kaplan of the Houston Chronicle reports.

It appears that Gurriel's hamstring injury isn't too major, as he's available to play Monday if needed and he's expected to start at third base or in left field for Tuesday's game against Pittsburgh. Over 15 games with Houston's minor league affiliates, Gurriel posted a .250/.262/.429 line with two home runs and 14 RBI.

Gurriel (hamstring) is not in the lineup Monday against the Pirates, Jake Kaplan of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Gurriel made his major league debut Sunday, starting as the designated hitter before being removed in the eighth inning due to tightness in his hamstring. The Astros are considering Gurriel day-to-day, and it's unclear if his absence from the lineup Monday is for injury or schematic reasons with the game taking place in an NL park. Manager A.J. Hinch indicated that Gurriel will be available off the bench Monday, and he'll likely return to the starting lineup Tuesday at either third base or left field.

Gurriel's MLB debut ended on a low note, as he was removed from Sunday's game against the Orioles in the eighth inning due to tightness in his right hamstring, MLB.com's Brian McTaggart reports.

Batting sixth and serving as the designated hitter, Gurriel had a hard-hit single, a walk and a groundout in his three plate appearances, but was then replaced by Tony Kemp. Gurriel said he may be fine for Monday's game in Pittsburgh, but Astros manager A.J. Hinch hinted that the 32-year-old Cuban slugger could be held out of the lineup even if he's healthy enough to play, according to MLB.com's Brian McTaggart. While expected to be a regular member of the starting lineup, Gurriel may be squeezed out during Houston's upcoming three-game series in an NL ballpark. It's still unclear how this will all work out from a defensive perspective, as Gurriel only played third base and second base over the past decade in the Cuban and Japanese leagues. 22-year-old top prospect Alex Bregman is capable of playing left field, but it's tough to justify a move from third base to a non-premium position, given that he's yet to make an error in 24 starts at the hot corner. Gurriel may just end up getting most of his at-bats as the DH, with Evan Gattis then playing more left field and/or catcher. Looking beyond this season, the Astros will probably want Gurriel to play left field and/or first base.

Gurriel went 1-for-2 with a walk in his MLB debut Sunday against Baltimore.

He was ultimately lifted for a pinch hitter, but this was a solid debut for the 32-year-old Cuban, who started at DH and singled to center for his first hit in the big leagues. Gurriel didn't hit particularly well in the high minors (albeit in a small sample), but still advanced to the Astros pretty quickly after being signed about five weeks ago. Of course, his last season in Cuba was absolutely insane, as he hit .500 with 15 homers and a 38:3 BB:K in 49 games, which is about as clear a sign as you'll see that a guy's ready for higher-level competition.

Abreu went 1-for-4 with a solo homer - his 16th of the season - and two runs against the Athletics on Sunday.

After seeing his batting average dip as low as .237 on June 1, Abreu has steadily increased it over the last three months and he's now hitting .283. After a fantastic rookie campaign in 2014 in which he posted a .964 OPS, he's seen that number fall significantly in each of the last two seasons.

Gurriel will serve as the designated hitter and hit sixth Sunday in his major-league debut.

Gurriel did not tear the cover off the ball during his stint in the minors, but the Astros are ready to let him show what he can do at the top level. He will likely jump between the DH and third base spots and usually occupy a spot somewhere between fifth and seventh in the batting order.

Gurriel will be recalled from Triple-A and start at DH for Sunday's game against Baltimore, the Houston Chronicle reports.

Gurriel went 4-for-18 with a home run at Triple-A as he had 56 at-bats at four levels of Houston's minor league system as he quickly got ready for the majors after the Cuban defector signed in July. It's not clear if he'll play DH or third base regularly but it's thought he'll be part of the everyday lineup.

Abreu went 2-for-3 with a walk, solo homer and two runs scored Saturday against the A's.

Abreu has been on a tear this month, going 25-for-68 (.368) with four home runs, 10 RBI and 10 runs in 17 games. He's hit safely in all but one game in August, while getting on base more this month than any other time during the 2016 campaign. Considering his numbers over the first two years of his career, Abreu hasn't given owners exactly what they'd hoped for this season, but the first baseman is locked in heading down the home stretch of the fantasy season.