Atlanta Braves Sign 9-Year Veteran After Losing Austin Riley to Injury

He certainly won't make up for Austin Riley's offense, but the Atlanta Braves needed to address yet another significant injury problem, this time at third base, so they've signed nine-year veteran infielder Gio Urshela, who was just set free by the Detroit Tigers earlier this week.

The Braves are signing Gio Urshela pic.twitter.com/3mJFTU4edH
— Talkin’ Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) August 20, 2024

Urshela had a couple of solid years for the New York Yankees in 2019 and 2020, with OPS+ marks in the 130s. He also produced at a decent clip for the Minnesota Twins in 2022, but he has struggled since then.

This season with the Tigers, the 32-year-old was batting only .243 with a .619 OPS and just five homers in 300 at-bats before they waived him.

The Braves moved quickly, however, to try to plug the hole that Riley leaves in the lineup, at least on the defensive side of the ball. Riley was diagnosed with a hand fracture on Monday and might miss the rest of the season.

For his career, Urshela has been a fine defensive option at the corners, with third base his regular position, and has a .273 average with a .730 OPS and essentially a league-average OPS+ of 99.

The Braves are 66-58 and entered play Tuesday with a 1.5-game lead over the New York Mets for the last Wild Card spot in the National League.