The Houston Astros replaced first baseman Yuli Gurriel on the World Series roster with catcher Korey Lee, the club announced Saturday.
Gurriel suffered a right MCL sprain while in a rundown during Game 5 on Thursday, general manager James Click said, according to Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle. He took part in early running drills on Saturday in hopes of playing in Game 6, but the recovery didn’t progress far enough for the team’s liking, according to Julia Morales of AT&T SportsNet Southwest.
“He wasn’t crying, but he had tears in his eyes. He really wanted to play,” Astros manager Dusty Baker said when asked about Gurriel, according to Rome.
The 38-year-old veteran slashed .347/.360/.490 with two homers and four RBIs over 12 games this postseason. He’s slated to become a free agent when the Fall Classic concludes after spending his entire seven-year career with the Astros.
Houston has a 3-2 series lead over the Philadelphia Phillies heading into Game 6 on Saturday.
