Yesterday the San Diego Padres announced a series of roster moves, and one Cuban was affected by them. The Padres designated Cuban first baseman Yuli Gurriel for assignment just a few minutes ago, according to Mike Shildt the team’s manager, whom spoke to the local press.
This news will undoubtedly put the spotlight back on the Sancti Spiritus native. “Mike Shildt told reporters that Yuli Gurriel was released and that Luis Arraez and Jason Heyward were activated from the injured list,” posted a post on the social media site X, the specialized site Fox Sport MLB. The news was made official at 6:49 p.m.
We now have to wait and see if Gurriel is picked up by another organization on waivers to continue his 2025 season. Gurriel had signed a one-year, $1.35 million contract with the San Diego Padres in February with San Diego. That figure placed him 18th among Cubans with the highest salary in the Major Leagues in 2025.
Gurriel has four hits in 36 at-bats so far this season giving him a .111 batting average and a .200 on-base percentage. He has also driven in three runs and scored twice. The infielder is still chasing 100 career home runs, he started the campaign with 98.
The Padres will now have seven days to decide one of four options for the Cuban: trade him to another team, place him on waivers, and if another team claims him, he will go to that team, release outright him if he wasn’t claimed, or assign him to the minor leagues, only if he has options available or if he accepts the assignment (in the case of players with sufficient service time).