Athletics' Gio Urshela: Inks one-year deal with A's
Rotowire
Urshela agreed to a one-year contract with the Athletics on Thursday, Martin Gallegos of MLB.com reports.
Urshela split time between Detroit and Atlanta last season and hit .250 with nine home runs and a .647 OPS. He was released by Detroit in August after slashing just .243/.286/.333, but he fared better with Atlanta by hitting .265 with a .711 OPS. Urshela still has a decent glove at third base as his Defensive Runs Saved ranked 18th at the position last season. He'll compete for a regular role this spring at third base, but he might be a better fit with the A's as a veteran bench player.
Urshela went 2-for-4 with a solo home run during Sunday's 4-2 loss to Kansas City.
Urshela provided Atlanta's lone extra-base hit Sunday, tagging Alec Marsh for a solo homer in the third inning. In 34 games with Atlanta, Urshela has slashed .264/.281/.432 with four home runs, 14 RBI and nine runs across 128 plate appearances.
Urshela went 2-for-4 with a two-run home run in Saturday's 6-2 win over the Marlins.
He capped the scoring on the afternoon by taking Lake Bachar deep in the seventh inning. Urshela hasn't replaced the offense lost when Austin Riley (hand) was sidelined in mid-August, but he's been a solid defender at third base and has slashed .252/.273/.374 through 29 games for Atlanta with two of his seven homers on the season.
