Gio

Urshela

Urshela debuted with Cleveland in 2015 and spent parts of 10 seasons in the majors, finishing up with the A’s last year. He never made an All-Star team, but he was exceptional for the Yankees in 2019 and the shortened 2020, hitting .310/.358/.523 with 17 homers and 5.9 rWAR in 175 games between the two seasons. Always well regarded defensively at third base, he finishes his career with a .270/.314/.407 line and 73 homers over 851 games.

Urshela had a shot at earning a spot on the Twins’ Opening Day bench, but he struggled to a .192/.250/.231 slash line with zero homers, one RBI and a 5/2 K/BB ratio over 28 plate appearances during Grapefruit League action. He’s now free to explore other opportunities.

Urshela worked a walk to open the sixth inning and came around to score on an RBI double off the bat of Gustavo Campero. He then drove in a run of his own with an RBI single in the seventh inning that trimmed Cuba’s lead to 7-3. The 34-year-old infielder needs a strong showing this spring if he’s going to earn a bench spot on the Twins’ Opening Day roster.

Urshela was cut loose by the Athletics in mid-August after slashing an uninspiring .238/.287/.326 with no home runs in 197 plate appearances. He’s still a skilled defender, but that’s probably not enough at this stage of his career to earn him a spot on the Twins’ Opening Day roster.

Urshela was cut loose late Sunday after passing through waivers unclaimed. The 33-year-old veteran infielder batted .238/.287/.326 with zero homers in 197 plate appearances over 59 games this season for the upstart Athletics. He’ll likely have to settle for a minor league contract if he’s going to latch on elsewhere.

The A’s needed to clear a spot on their 40-man roster after claiming Jared Shuster off of waivers from the White Sox and Urshela was the unfortunate casualty this time around. The 33-year-old infielder was hitting an underwhelming .238/.287/.326 with zero homers and 20 RBI in 197 plate appearances with the A’s. He’ll probably go unclaimed on waivers and then elect free agency rather than accepting an outright assignment to Triple-A Las Vegas.

This is just a routine day off for Butler, which happens to coincide with the Athletics facing a left-handed pitcher. He’s hitting .244 in 22 games in June, but has gone 1-for-17 in his last four games, so this will be a brief reset. Brent Rooker will play right field with Gio Urshela moving into the lineup at first base.

Urshela returns to the Athletics’ infield mix after missing just under four weeks with a left hamstring strain. The 33-year-old veteran will split time at the hot corner with rookie Max Muncy, who has taken over as the primary option at the position in recent weeks.

Urshela, on the IL since May 23 with a hamstring strain, is 3-for-6 with two walks between the two games. With Max Muncy having homered three times in seven games since his callup, the A’s are going to have to make a tough call to get Urshela back on the roster in the near future, at least assuming Jacob Wilson doesn’t need an IL stint for his hamstring.

Urshela has been on the injured list since May 23, so he likely won’t need too long on his rehab assignment. However, with Max Muncy back up in Sacramento, Urshela may have to settle for a bench role as a utility infielder.