Yuli Gurriel’s suspension is going to have to wait

Astros first baseman Yuli Gurriel’s suspension is going to have to wait until after he comes off the Disabled List.

Yuli Guurriel, the Astros 33-year-old first baseman, underwent left-hand surgery to remove the hook of the hamate bone and is expected to out for at least six weeks. Of course, Gurriel was already going to miss the beginning of the season already, serving a five-game suspension after he made a racist gesture towards Yu Darvish in the World Series.

Astros GM Jeff Luhnow gave an update on Gurriel’s hand injury, explaining it was a pre-existing injury.

While Gurriel has only been with the Astros for about a season and a half, he has proven to be one of the more consistent players in their lineup. Breaking out last season, Gurriel slashed .299/.332/.486 with 18 home runs, and it’s easy to see the veteran putting up similar numbers again when he returns in 2018.

However, the good news for the Astros is they have plenty of talented infielders that can slide into the role while Gurriel recovers. Marwin Gonzalez, who also had a breakout 2017 season with Houston, is a likely candidate to replace Gurriel but his value as a utility player might keep him seeing regular playing time at 1st.

Houston will likely give J.D. Davis or A.J. Reed a shot at the 1B job this spring, both in camp with the Astros, as the two were left without a job in the infield that consists of Carlos Correa, Jose Altuve, and Alex Bregman. Another option could be Tyler White, who has bounced around from the Triple-A and the major league roster the last two seasons.

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But as Luhnow alluded to in the video above, the Astros have plenty of talent and can afford to wait and see if someone grasps the opportunity presenting itself. But in the grand scheme of things, it’s business as usual for the Astros as they try to be the first team to repeat as World Series champions in almost two decades.