Cuban National Series Gurriel debuted in the
Cuban National Series with
Sancti Spíritus in 2010 as a 16-year-old. Used as a
pinch hitter, Gurriel
batted .200 in 15
at-bats over 16 games. The following season, Gurriel appeared in 55 games and batted .227 with three
home runs and 16
runs batted in (RBI). In February 2016, Gurriel and his brother
Yulieski defected after competing in the
Caribbean Series in the
Dominican Republic.
Toronto Blue Jays In August 2016, Gurriel was declared a free agent by
Major League Baseball (MLB), and ranked as the sixth best international prospect available. In September, he held a showcase of his skills at
Rod Carew Stadium in
Panama that was attended by 60 MLB scouts. On November 12, Gurriel signed a seven-year, $22 million contract with the
Toronto Blue Jays. Gurriel took part in spring training with the Blue Jays, and was assigned to the
Dunedin Blue Jays of the
High-A Florida State League on March 17, 2017. Gurriel began the season on the disabled list with a leg injury. He made his minor league debut on April 18, but left the game with a recurrence of the same injury. On July 12, Gurriel was promoted to the
New Hampshire Fisher Cats of the
Double-A Eastern League after appearing in 18 games for Dunedin. In total, Gurriel played in 64 games in 2017 and hit .229 with five home runs and 36 RBI. Gurriel began the 2018 season with New Hampshire. He batted .347 in 12 games, and was promoted to the major leagues on April 20. In his debut that night, Gurriel recorded two
singles and three RBI. On April 28, Gurriel hit his first career home run, against
Bartolo Colón of the
Texas Rangers. On July 27, Gurriel recorded his first multi-home run game by hitting two home runs in a 10–5 win over the
Chicago White Sox. By collecting a pair of singles in Toronto's game against the White Sox the following night, Gurriel became the first rookie in baseball's modern era to have 10 consecutive multi-hit games. The last rookie to accomplish this feat was
Shoeless Joe Jackson in 1911. On July 29, Gurriel broke Jackson's rookie record with his 11th consecutive multi-hit game. Jackson also set the overall AL record with an 11-game multi-hit streak in 1912. Simultaneous with breaking Jackson's 1911 rookie record, Gurriel also tied Jackson's all-time AL record. However, on his third hit of the game on July 29, Gurriel was injured, and was subsequently put on the disabled list. On September 25, Gurriel was shut down for the rest of the season with a sore left hamstring. After starting the 2019 season hitting .175 in 13 games and struggling with throws from second base, the Blue Jays
optioned Gurriel to the
Buffalo Bisons of the
Triple-A International League. At Buffalo, Gurriel began playing as an
outfielder. On offense, he finished the 2019 hitting .277 with 20 home runs in 84 games for the Blue Jays. On defense, he led all major league left fielders in assists, with 9. Overall with the
2020 Blue Jays, Gurriel batted .308 with 11 home runs and 33 RBI in 57 games, and was named one of three finalists for the
Gold Glove. In 2021, Gurriel set career highs on offense, hitting .276 with 21 home runs and 84 RBI in 141 games with Toronto. He also set a club record for most grand slams(4) in a season, including a game-tying slam against the
Oakland Athletics on September 5. He also led all left fielders with 12 assists and was named a finalist for the
Gold Glove Award for the second consecutive year. On July 22, 2022, in a game in which the Blue Jays defeated the
Boston Red Sox 28–5, Gurriel recorded six hits with five RBI. The accomplishment matched the franchise single-game record for hits, tying
Frank Catalanotto who achieved the feat in 2004.
Arizona Diamondbacks On December 23, 2022, the Blue Jays traded Gurriel and
Gabriel Moreno to the
Arizona Diamondbacks in exchange for
Daulton Varsho. Gurriel was named an All-Star for the first time in his MLB career on July 2, 2023, and finished the season with a .261/.309/.463 batting line, 24 home runs, and 82 RBI. He became a free agent following the season. On December 22, 2023, Gurriel re-signed with Arizona on a three-year, $42 million contract. Gurriel was announced as part of
FEPCUBE's "Patria y Vida" team of
expatriate Cuban ballplayers participating in the inaugural
Intercontinental Series in
Barranquilla,
Colombia. Gurriel appeared in 133 contests for Arizona in the 2024 campaign, slashing .279/.322/.435 with 18 home runs and 75 RBI. Gurriel made 129 appearances for the Diamondbacks during the 2025 season, batting .248/.295/.418 with 19 home runs, 80 RBI, and 10 stolen bases. On September 2, 2025, it was announced that Gurriel would miss the remainder of the season after suffering a
torn ACL in his right knee. ==Personal life==