The Atlanta Braves have made a trade, despite it being after the MLB Trade Deadline. The deal, however, involves a minor league player. On Saturday, Francys Romero reported that the Braves traded Yuli Gurriel to the Kansas City Royals in exchange for cash considerations. The Royals, aiming to bolster their roster for a potential postseason run—their first since winning the World Series in 2015—needed extra depth after losing Vinnie Pasquantino for 6-8 weeks due to a broken right thumb.
Yuli Gurriel, who signed a minor league deal with the Braves in April, never received a call-up to Atlanta this season. Instead, he spent his time with Triple-A Gwinnett, where he performed well, hitting .292/.378/.485 with 12 home runs and 48 RBI in 75 games, and successfully stealing 11 bases out of 12 attempts. Gurriel now hopes to secure a spot on the Royals‘ active roster, aiming to return to the Major Leagues for the first time since 2023, when he played 108 games for the Miami Marlins.
Gurriel previously spent seven seasons in the MLB with the Houston Astros, earning a Gold Glove Award in 2021, and has played in 909 Major League games. He was considered a potential replacement for the Braves when Austin Riley was injured, but the recent signing of Gio Urshela proved successful for the team. The Braves are set to add two more players to their active roster on Sunday, as the roster limit increases to 28 players for September.
