Springer hits 3-run HR in return from concussion
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HOUSTON -- Outfielder George Springer was back in the Astros' lineup Sunday afternoon against the Mariners, which qualifies as a best-case scenario given the scary nature of his collision with the center-field wall in Milwaukee on Tuesday.
Springer has undergone several tests since his head hit the wall after catching a Ryan Braun fly ball in the fifth inning of Tuesday's game.
The All-Star made his presence felt in his return as part of a nine-run third inning against Seattle. Springer made it a 12-0 game with a three-run home run, his 31st.
On Tuesday, Springer was carted off the field, but he was cleared to accompany the Astros on the team flight home after the game. Since then, his symptoms have subsided, and he went through a full pregame workout on Saturday.
“I ended up being a little short of the wall,” he said. “It’s a bigger [warning] track than most and I made a move ironically not to hit the wall with my head and I ended up hitting the wall with my head. I had a headache, but I feel good now and that’s all that matters.”
For those expecting the high-flying Springer to change the way he pitches, don’t hold your breath.
“I’ll just try not to hit it with my head,” he joked.
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Springer worked out on Saturday with the hope of returning for the series finale against Seattle.
“We had to get his heart rate up, and he shagged fly balls,” Astros manager AJ Hinch said before Saturday's win. "He’s going to take [batting practice] and run around a little bit. He’s very perturbed that he’s not playing right now, and that’s a good sign.
“I think he’s just ready to go. We’ll have him in the lineup [Sunday] if the rest of the day goes well."
Gurriel out for rest of series
First baseman Yuli Gurriel will miss at least the final two games of the Seattle series after sustaining left hamstring discomfort while legging out an infield grounder in the fifth inning on Friday.
“Yuli is doing OK,” Hinch said. “He’s going to be a couple of days. He’s getting a full examination [Saturday] by our doctors, and they’ll come to me with what the timeline looks like.
“He’s not going to play the rest of this series, but I don’t know how much that goes into next week or anything like that. We don’t think it’s very serious. He was very positive leaving the ballpark [Friday] night.”
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Gurriel has been one of the American League’s best hitters since the All-Star break, batting .351 with 13 homers, 48 RBIs and a 1.068 OPS in 49 games.
Worth noting
• After Astros relievers pitched 18 innings between Thursday and Friday, the club called up right-hander Bryan Abreu from Triple-A Round Rock on Saturday.
• Alex Bregman is on the verge of becoming the third player in Astros history with 100 runs, 100 walks and 100 RBIs in a season. He entered Saturday with 108 runs, 99 walks and 99 RBIs. Only the Angels' Mike Trout has crossed each of those thresholds this season. In Astros history, only Jeff Bagwell (six times) and Lance Berkman (twice) have done it. Berkman (2004) was the last to do it.