TORONTO -- It appears as though the wait is almost over for Yulieski Gurriel, as Astros general manager Jeff Luhnow noted the team expects to call up the Cuban baseball sensation prior to Tuesday's opener against the Cardinals.
Gurriel, 32, signed a five-year, $47.5 million deal with the Astros in mid-July, and he has spent the early part of his North American career in the Minor Leagues.
After a scheduled off-day Thursday, Gurriel was back in the lineup on Friday for Double-A Corpus Christi, batting third and playing third base.
"He'll play today, tomorrow and maybe Sunday [at Corpus Christi]," Luhnow said Friday. "We will see where he goes after that. Monday is an off-day for us. We're still hoping everything will line up so he can participate on Tuesday when the Cardinals come to Houston."
Across three Minor League levels this season, Gurriel was hitting .321 with one home run and nine RBIs entering Friday.