SAN DIEGO -- For 26-year-old Jose Siri, the feeling of arriving to Petco Park on Friday was a moment he had been waiting for.
Siri spent eight seasons in the Minors after being signed to a Minor League contract by the Reds in 2012, also spending time in the Giants' and Mariners' developmental systems, but he had yet to join a big league roster.
That moment finally came on Thursday when Siri was told he would be moving up from Triple-A Sugar Land to join the Astros on Friday.
“I feel proud of myself,” Siri said through an interpreter. “I know how much I've fought to get here. I just feel proud of myself for everything that I've gone through to be able to get to this point.”
Siri said the first people he called were his mom and dad, both of whom were proud of their son for getting his call to the Majors. He said arriving to Petco Park was an unbelievable feeling.
“The first thing I thought was, ‘You got to see it to believe it. I’m in The Show,'” Siri said.
But Siri’s parents weren’t the only ones who were able to share the moment with him. He also had the chance to catch up with Padres star Fernando Tatis Jr., who played with Siri during the 2018-19 Dominican Winter League.
“[Tatis] called me right away just to congratulate me,” Siri said. “He knew I was coming here. He was happy to see this happen.”
Astros manager Dusty Baker said Siri can fill an immediate need coming off the bench over the weekend as the Astros take on the Padres in a National League ballpark. Baker also said Siri’s stay could be longer.
“Right now, we're trying to win [and] put ourselves in a position to win as many games as possible,” Baker said. “We’ve been following him all year long. We've had eyes on all those guys, especially guys that have a chance to come up. [Siri] played well, performed well, he throws well, has good speed. We don't know where we're going to be a month from now, but we're putting ourselves in a position to make some decisions.”
Siri slashed .271/.321/.462 across eight seasons in the Minors. In 2021, he's posted a .318 average and .921 OPS to go along with 72 RBIs and 24 stolen bases for Sugar Land.
Siri said he understands his role as he joins the Astros. He feels prepared to come off the bench and contribute at any moment for the club.
But overall, he is ready to prove he belongs in the Majors.
“I’m ready for everything,” Siri said in English with a laugh.