HOUSTON -- Astros first baseman Yuli Gurriel was removed from the World Series roster after suffering a knee injury in the team's Game 5 win on Thursday.
Gurriel, 38, hurt his right knee during a rundown in the seventh inning, forcing him to leave the game.
"He wasn't crying, but he had tears in his eyes," Astros manager Dusty Baker said. "You could tell how badly that he wanted to play. We just couldn't do it and had to replace him.''
Catcher Korey Lee will replace Gurriel on the roster, allowing Christian Vazquez to be the designated hitter in Game 6 on Saturday night. Houston will carry three catchers for the final two games, giving the Astros more lineup flexibility.
Houston has had little production from their designated hitters so far in the series.
"He tried everything," Baker said of Gurriel. "He came in yesterday, got treatment. Came in this morning early, got treatment. Didn't respond well enough to play. He tried to run. And from a guy who had knee injuries, the hardest thing to do is to stop and then to round the bases or have lateral movement."
Lee, 24, appeared in 12 games for Houston this season, going 4-for-25 at the plate. Gurriel was hitting .347 during the playoffs with two home runs before going down.
"Yuli's been one of our best hitters in the postseason, so, obviously, it stinks not having him,'' Chas McCormick said.
The Astros lead the Philadelphia Phillies 3-2 in the best-of-seven series.
The Associated Press contributed to this story.
