Atlanta Braves Sign Veteran Infielder Gio Urshela to Replace Austin Riley

Austin Riley is expected to miss the next 6-to-8 weeks with a fractured hand, so the Atlanta Braves have gone out and signed former Yankees and Tigers third baseman Gio Urshela.

Aug 13, 2024; Detroit, Michigan, USA; Detroit Tigers third baseman Gio Urshela (13) celebrates after hitting a home run against the Seattle Mariners in the sixth inning at Comerica Park. / Lon Horwedel-USA TODAY Sports

The Atlanta Braves have signed infielder Gio Urshela to a major league contract, The New York Post's Jon Heyman reported Tuesday morning.

The New York Post's Joel Sherman was first to report earlier on Tuesday that the two sides were nearing an agreement.

Urshela, 32, was designated for assignment by the Detroit Tigers on Friday. He was placed on unconditional release waivers on Sunday and became a free agent soon after.

Atlanta was quick to pounce on Urshela, who hit .243 with five home runs, 37 RBI, a .619 OPS and -0.6 WAR across 92 games in Detroit.

The move comes on the heels of All-Star third baseman Austin Riley going down with a fractured right hand on Sunday. Riley was ruled out for 6-to-8 weeks on Monday, meaning he is expected to miss at least the rest of the regular season.

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.

The Yankees kept Urshela in their everyday lineup through the 2021 campaign, at which point they traded him and All-Star catcher Gary Sanchez to the Minnesota Twins. Urshela had a solid campaign in Minnesota in 2022, batting .285 with 13 home runs, 64 RBI, a .767 OPS and a 3.0 WAR.

While Urshela only appeared in 62 games with the Los Angeles Angels in 2023, he still hit .299 with two home runs, 24 RBI, a .703 OPS and a 0.8 WAR. That was enough to earn him a one-year, $1.5 million contract with the Tigers in February, although he was unable to make it through the full length of that deal.

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.

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