KC Royals strike again, land veteran Gold Glove first baseman in Saturday trade

Before the ink was even dry on the waiver claims they put in on major league outfielders Tommy Pham and Robbie Grossman, the KC Royals moved once again to shore up their down-the-stretch roster late Saturday afternoon. Coming to Kansas City in a cash-for-player minor league trade confirmed by the club is veteran big leaguer Yuli Gurriel.

Gurriel, acquired from the Atlanta organization in the minor league-level deal, could be available as early as Sunday when the Royals conclude their four-game series with the Astros in an early afternoon game at Minute Maid Park.

Gurriel, whose most recent major league action came as a member of the Marlins in last season's two-game National League Wild Card Serie, was playing for the Braves' Gwinnett Triple-A affiliate when Kansas and Atlanta made their Saturday afternoon trade. Now 40 and a veteran of eight big league campaigns, he was slashing .292/.378/.485 with 12 homers and 48 RBI in 75 games for the Stripers in his first minor league stint since 2018.

Interestingly enough, Gurriel was also on Gwinnett's seven-day Injured List, where the club placed him Aug. 23, at the time the swap occurred. He's eligible for reactivation now.

Why did the KC Royals trade for Yuli Gurriel?

Simple. Kansas City lost star first baseman Vinnie Pasquantino to the fractured thumb he suffered against Houston Thursday, so the club needed help and depth at the position. Almost all of Gurriel's major league defensive time has been spent at first, and he won the 2021 American League Gold Glove there when he played for Houston. He hit 31 homers for the Astros in 2019, 18 for them the season before, 15 during his Gold Glove year, and 13 in 2018.

The right-handed batting backstop has extensive postseason experience and owns a career .281 average with 98 home runs and 462 RBI.

Whether Royals manager Matt Quatraro elects to install him as the first base starter remains to be seen, but expect him to at least share time there with Salvador Perez given the club's clear preference to benefit from Perez's experience and savvy behind the plate.

The Gurriel trade could also mean the club definitely won't be recalling first baseman Nick Pratto from Triple-A Omaha as part of the September roster expansion moves they'll make Sunday.

Presuming Gurriel joins the club in Houston Sunday, the club can wait until then to create 40-man and 26-man roster space for him.

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