HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) — For the first time since Game 2 of the 2022 World Series, Yuli Gurriel will stand in the batter’s box inside Houston’s Minute Maid Park on Sunday. It just won’t be with the Astros.

On Saturday, the Kansas City Royals completed a trade with the Atlanta Braves to acquire the 40-year-old Cuban infielder, who has been playing on a minor-league deal. Despite the trade deadline having come and gone, the Royals were able to obtain Gurriel since he had yet to come up to the major league level in 2024.

The video above was produced in 2017.

And in a twist of fate, the Royals are starting Gurriel as the designated hitter when Kansas City and Houston face off Sunday in their series finale.

SEE PREVIOUS STORY: Former Astros teammates Yuli Gurriel and Alex Bregman reunite in heartwarming spring training photo

So, how did a sudden Gurriel homecoming unfold, and what was the first baseman doing since his exit after Houston’s latest world championship?

Gurriel’s final game with Houston was painful. In Game 5 of the 2022 World Series, he suffered a right knee injury that kept him out of the clinching game in Houston.

The Astros decided to attempt an upgrade at the first base position in the 2023 offseason by signing free agent Jose Abreu on a three-year, $58.5 million. The signing effectively put Gurriel, also a free agent, on the outs.

Gurriel signed a one-year deal with the Miami Marlins for 2023, where he played in 108 games and appeared as a pinch hitter in one postseason matchup.

The 40-year-old was back on the market for the 2024 season and signed with the Braves organization two weeks into the regular season. The Braves, who are in a dogfight with the Phillies for the National League East crown, were seemingly gearing up for a Gurriel call-up after he took reps as a second and third baseman in Triple A.

But after Royals first baseman Vinnie Pasquantino broke his thumb during their series in Houston, Gurriel became appealing to postseason-contending Kansas City. He was reportedly traded for cash considerations.

Gurriel’s arrival on Sunday also coincides with major league rosters expanding from 26 to 28 players in time for the last month of the season.

The Houston Astros, who have found instant success with waiver-wire claim Ben Gamel and free agent Jason Heyward, both outfielders filling in the void left by Kyle Tucker’s injury, picked up Sugar Land Space Cowboys members Cesar Salazar, a catcher, and Forrest Whitley, a pitcher.

Salazar made his major league debut in 2023 and last played with the Astros on July 11 this year. Whitley, a San Antonio native, debuted on April 16, 2024, after eight seasons in the Astros minor-league system, but had yet to play again since.

Entering Sunday’s game, Houston holds a five-game lead over the Seattle Mariners for the American League West. The Astros head to Cincinnati on Monday for a series opener, take their first off day in 18 days on Tuesday, and resume the series with the Reds on Wednesday.

Houston can also add a wild-card bye into the postseason conversation. The ‘Stros sit three games behind the Cleveland Guardians for the AL’s second seed. The two teams face off for the last series of the season at the end of this month.

Kansas State offensive MVP: DJ Giddens

It was another nice and easy day at the office for Kansas State running back DJ Giddens.

The Junction City running back went over 100 yards for the fifth consecutive game. His five game streak of going over the century mark is tied for fourth in K-State school history. Giddens finished the game with 124 rushing yards and added six receiving yards.

Dylan Edwards provided a nice spark for the Wildcat offense in his first game after transferring from Colorado. Edwards scored multiple times in the contest Saturday night with one on the ground and a receiving touchdown.

In the first home start for Avery Johnson, there were some ups and downs.

However, Johnson still finished with two touchdowns through the air and added some nice runs as well. Jayce Brown was a major bright spot receiving as well with 71 receiving yards. The true sophomore led Kansas State in receiving and had the most receptions with five.

Defensive MVP: Tobi Osunsanmi

For defense there was a few different options for MVP. I really wrestled back and forth between two.

Ultimately, I decided on Tobi Osunsanmi. The Wichita native was a man possessed in his snaps. He showed his elite burst and was able to get to the quarterback at a very high clip. Osunsanmi finished the game with 1.5 sacks (2.5 if he completes one instead of letting the quarterback escape).

He also added another quarterback hit to go along with the sacks.

Desmond Purnell was also flying around the field Saturday evening. He led K-State in tackles with seven and was tied for first in tackles for a loss with 1.5.

K-State special teams MVP: Ty Bowman

Anytime you can create a touchdown on special teams, it is an easy choice for special teams MVP. Ty Bowman blocked his second career punt in the season opener versus UT-Martin. The beneficiary of Bowman blocking the punt was Colby McCalister who returned the ball one yard for a touchdown.

Chris Tennant was also perfect on all of his kicks. Tennant knocked in a 45 and 43-yard field goal and was perfect on all of his extra points.

The stage is set for Tulane football’s highly anticipated Week 2 matchup against the Kansas State Wildcats as they seek to become contenders on a national stage.

Intriguingly, the Green Wave and the Wildcats have some parallels on offense. Kansas State kicks off the season Saturday against FCS opponent UT-Martin, much like Tulane opened against Southeastern Louisiana.

Sophomore quarterback Avery Johnson will make his first regular season start, much like redshirt freshman Darian Mensah led Tulane to their 52-0 victory Thursday night. Johnson did appear in eight games as a true freshman and started for the team in the Pop-Tarts Bowl, beating North Carolina State.

However, he did so behind an offensive line that looks nothing like the one that will take the field next Saturday at Yulman Stadium. The Wildcats must replace four of five starters, including third-round draft pick Cooper Beebe. Just as Tulane had to find Vincent Murphy to take over for Sincere Haynesworth.

Though the group of returners isn’t exactly inexperienced, they don’t have any time playing together in concert. The lone starter remaining is right guard Hadley Panzer, who likely is starting this season at left guard. Presumed starting left tackle Easton Kilty is making his first FBS start.

It helps that Kansas State’s offensive line coach, Conor Riley, was promoted to coordinator. He has pieces to work with that have credible game snaps. The challenge is whether they can come together as a unit.

While Avery Johnson has more experience than Darian Mensah, Mensah benefits from a much more stable offensive line. Tulane returned both starting guards and right tackle and brought in key transfers to fill the remaining holes. In their season debut, they gave Mensah time in the pocket, but the run blocking left much to be desired.

Tulane brought in transfers on the defensive line to bolster their pass rush. They got to the quarterback twice with two sacks last Thursday, but the Bandit role was a point of concern. Their three-man front is spaced to spread out their top playmakers, Adin Huntington at defensive end and Patrick Jenkins at tackle.

With Huntington to the field and Jenkins to the boundary, it forces defenses to either focus attention on one side of the line or just shut down the best two players. That awards a lot of one-on-one opportunities for the rusher at Bandit. The players who rotated in the first game didn’t make much of a case.

Terrell Allen didn’t make any standout plays, nor did Matthew Fobbs-White, though the latter showed some disruptive abilities off the line of scrimmage. Frankly, Shi’Keem Laister was the most productive in a packaged role. Laister had a hurry and forced Southeastern to throw quickly, leading to incompletions on the drive.

Tulane doesn’t need the Bandit to be the hero, but they need a player to step up and credibly command attention to open up lanes for Huntington, who only recorded one hurry in his debut for the team.

Importantly, the team likely didn’t show their cards on the ways they might get to the quarterback. It might come from the second level. Linebacker Sam Howard had more pressure snaps than Fobbs-White and Allen, and he recorded a hurry and beat his blocker on another.

Could Tulane rely on blitzing and utilizing defensive backs and linebackers as rushers? Not all season. But creativity and confusion might just be enough to rattle the Wildcats as both teams race to figure out what the other is made of with merely one game of film.

The secondary came together as Tulane’s season opener went on, and should be a point of strength, but the best coverage is a pass rush. Especially with an opponent that has similar turnover and areas to exploit. For the Green Wave to pull off a victory on Sept. 7, the key lies in the lane to the quarterback.