Astros' Yuli Gurriel Removed from World Series Roster After Suffering Knee Injury

The Houston Astros removed first baseman Yuli Gurriel from their World Series roster after he suffered a knee injury in a 3-2 Game 5 win.

Houston replaced Gurriel with Korey Lee on its active roster, while Christian Vázquez is listed as the designated hitter for Game 6 on Saturday.

Gurriel's .347 batting average in the postseason is the best on the team, though his slugging percentage is just .368 in the World Series alone.

Trey Mancini replaced Gurriel in the eighth inning of Game 5. The 2021 Gold Glove winner got caught in a rundown in the seventh inning and fell awkwardly while inadvertently getting kneed in the head by Phillies first baseman Rhys Hoskins.

Astros manager Dusty Baker told reporters the 38-year-old "tried everything" to show he was physically ready to play, but it was clear to the team he hadn't recovered enough.

Vázquez has struggled at the plate following his midseason trade to Houston. He had a .250/.278/.308 slash line in 35 appearances, and his performance hasn't improved much in the playoffs. The veteran catcher is 3-for-14 with two RBI so far.

The Astros have the second-highest batting average across the MLB postseason, but that's a case of damning with faint praise when they're only hitting .232. Going from Gurriel to Vázquez is likely to be a blow to the offense.