Former Angels Infielder Who Suffered Gnarly Injury Designated For Assignment

Maren Angus-Coombs | Aug 19, 2024

Jessica Alcheh-USA TODAY Sports

The Detroit Tigers activated outfielder Riley Greene from the 10-day injured list as the 27th player for Sunday’s Little League Classic game against the New York Yankees and also announced Gio Urshela had cleared waivers.

The former Los Angeles Angels infielder will hit free agency once he clears conditional waivers and will become postseason-eligible for a new team if he signs by Aug. 31.

Urshela was designated for assignment on Friday.

Infielder Gio Urshela has cleared outright waivers.

He is now on unconditional release waivers and will be postseason-eligible for a new @MLB team if he signs by Aug. 31. @MLBNetwork

— Jon Morosi (@jonmorosi) August 18, 2024

"That was tough," manager A.J. Hinch said before Friday's game. "I was told when we signed him, by a lot of people in the industry, that he would turn into one of my favorite players, and they were right. He's such a fun pro to be around, but these jobs, they often create situations that you have to make tough decisions."

The 32-year-old signed with Detroit in the offseason and it was his fourth team in four years. He played in 92 games and slashed .243/.286/.333/.619 with five home runs and 37 runs batted in.

The veteran infielder's value decreased after a gnarly injury with the Angels last year that cut his season short after just 62 games. He managed to slash .299/.329/.374/.703 with two home runs and 24 RBIs but a broken pelvis is no joke.

Urshela was running to first base on June 15 last season when he fell awkwardly. He was seen by two specialists who determined he didn't need surgery, but the rest and recovery time necessary to heal prevented him from playing again in 2023.

He played all four infield positions for the Angels, primarily at third base and first base. He signed a $1.5 million, one-year deal with Detroit in the offseason.

Unfortunately, Urshela got caught up in the Tigers' youth movement, which called up Jace Jung and Trey Sweeney on Friday. Both are infielders and corresponding moves needed to be made to clear space on the 40-man and 26-man rosters.

"We have to take a step in a new direction to give opportunities to some young players who have earned it," Hinch said, "and it's going to come at the cost of his spot in our organization, but I will speak highly of Gio and what he's about as a person and as a player, and hopefully, somebody grabs him while they can now."

Urshela broke into the league with the Cleveland Guardians in 2015 but made a name for himself with the New York Yankees from 2019-21. New York traded him to Minnesota in 2022 and between the two teams, he recorded a .290 batting average with 54 home runs and 217 RBIs.