Braves make minor-league trade as they deal Yuli Gurriel to Royals

PHILADELPHIA – The Braves on Saturday traded Yuli Gurriel, who had been at Triple-A Gwinnett, to the Royals for cash considerations, a person with knowledge of the situation confirmed to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

Gurriel, a former batting champion, hasn’t played in the majors since he was with Miami last season. He hit .292 with an .863 OPS – and had 12 home runs and 48 RBIs – for the Stripers since the Braves signed him to a minor-league deal in April.

The Royals lost first baseman Vinnie Pasquantino for six to eight weeks because of a broken thumb. They’ve added several players, including Gurriel, before the deadline for players to be eligible for the postseason roster.

Any player who was on the 40-man roster or 60-day injured list as of 11:59 p.m. Saturday can be on a team’s postseason roster. Players who don’t meet the criteria for postseason eligibility can still be included on a club’s playoff roster with a petition to the commissioner’s office if that player was in the organization by Saturday – provided that he replaces someone who’s on the injured list and has met the minimum time requirement for activation (10 or 60 days on the injured list).

Gurriel will get to be part of a postseason push. Entering Saturday, the Royals were 2-1/2 games behind the Guardians in the American League Central. Kansas City held the second wild-card spot in the AL, and was 4-1/2 games ahead of Boston, which was the first team on the outside looking into the AL playoff picture.

You might be wondering why the Braves could even trade Gurriel following the July 30 trade deadline.

Players who have been on a minor-league contract for the entire season and haven’t once been added to a 40-man roster or been on a major-league injured list are eligible to be traded. Gurriel fit the criteria.

Gurriel never appeared for the Braves. They didn’t need him. After Austin Riley fractured his hand, the Braves tried Gurriel at third base at Triple-A. Meanwhile, they signed Gio Urshela to fill the void at the major-league level, and he’s stuck ever since.

On Aug. 23, Gwinnett placed Gurriel on the seven-day injured list because of a hamstring injury. He last played Aug. 22. But the Royals obviously were comfortable with his health because they traded for him.

In addition to the batting title, Gurriel is a two-time World Series champion who has won a Gold Glove. He’s hit .281 with a .766 OPS over a major-league career that began in 2016 with Houston.

On Thursday in Philadelphia, Braves manager Brian Snitker said the team would add two players Sunday, when teams can add a pitcher and a position player to their active rosters. Snitker said the Braves would choose a position player with versatility and speed, which wouldn’t be a description for Gurriel.

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