Astros' Gurriel out 6 weeks after undergoing hand surgery

The Houston Astros' depth at first base has been challenged immediately this spring.

Yuli Gurriel was sent back to Houston after experiencing soreness in his left hand and underwent successful surgery Wednesday to have the hook of the hamate bone removed. It's expected he'll miss roughly six weeks.

"His fracture was preexisting, not something that happened in the last few days. It's something that has been there the last few years but it was non-symptomatic until recently and he started to feel something," Astros general manager Jeff Luhnow told reporters. "Timeframe wise, they're pretty consistent six weeks from the time of surgery to (being) activated and ready to go, but that can vary a little bit and we want to wait until we get the first checkpoint. Having four weeks left of spring training works to our benefit."

Gurriel was already expected to miss the first five games of the regular season after receiving the suspension for an offensive gesture directed at Los Angeles Dodgers starter Yu Darvish. He cannot begin serving the suspension until after he's activated from the disabled list.

The 33-year-old is coming off a strong rookie season, hitting .299/.332/.486 with 18 home runs, 43 doubles, and 75 RBIs in 139 games.