Gio Urshela, a veteran infielder, is signed by the Atlanta Braves to replace Austin Riley.
Due to a fractured hand, Austin Riley is projected to miss the next six to eight weeks. As a result, the Atlanta Braves signed Gio Urshela, a third baseman who was formerly with the Yankees and Tigers.
According to Jon Heyman of The New York Post, the Atlanta Braves have signed infielder Gio Urshela to a major league deal on Tuesday morning.
Joel Sherman of the New York Post was the first to announce earlier on Tuesday that an agreement was approaching between the two parties.
The Detroit Tigers designated Urshela, 32, for assignment on Friday. After being placed on waivers for unconditional release on Sunday, he soon became a free agent.
Urshela hit.243 in 92 games in Detroit, with five home runs, 37 RBI, a.619 OPS, and a -0.6 WAR, but Atlanta was eager to seize the opportunity.
Following All-Star third baseman Austin Riley’s Sunday injury from a fractured right hand, the trade was made. Riley is anticipated to miss at least the remainder of the regular season after being ruled out for six to eight weeks on Monday.
Riley was batting .256 with 19 home runs, 56 RBI, a .783 OPS and a 2.8 WAR on the season.
It remains to be seen if Urshela can make up for that lost production down the stretch, given his lackluster numbers so far in 2024, but he does have an extensive track record at the big league level.
Urshela joined the New York Yankees in August 2018 following largely uneventful stints with the Cleveland Indians and Toronto Blue Jays. In 2019, he hit .314 with 21 home runs, 74 RBI, an .889 OPS and a 3.8 WAR, all of which remain career-highs.
Urshela was a regular in the Yankees lineup until the 2021 season, when they dealt him to the Minnesota Twins along with All-Star catcher Gary Sanchez. Urshela batted.285 in 2022 with 13 home runs, 64 RBI, a.767 OPS, and a 3.0 WAR with Minnesota, having a strong season.
Despite playing in just 62 games for the Los Angeles Angels in 2023, Urshela managed a.299 average, two home runs, 24 RBI, a.703 OPS, and a 0.8 WAR. That was sufficient to land him a $1.5 million, one-year contract with the Tigers in February, however he was unable to stick with the team for the whole duration of that agreement.
Detroit will still be on the hook for the remaining cash on Urshela’s contract, while Atlanta will be paying him the prorated league minimum for as long as he remains on the roster.
Urshela is a career .273 hitter with a .730 OPS, averaging 15 home runs, 68 RBI and a 1.8 WAR per 162 games. He has never played for a National League team before.
The Braves are currently 66-58, giving them a 1.5-game lead over the New York Mets for the third NL Wild Card spot.
Riley won’t be the only franchise cornerstone absent from the playoff push, though, as second baseman Ozzie Albies remains on the injured list with a fractured wrist and right fielder Ronald Acuña Jr. is still recovering from a torn ACL. Urshela will join utility man Whit Merrifield and former All-Star slugger Jorge Soler as their replacements down the stretch.
