OFFICIAL: Braves Sign Gio Urshela To Fill Austin Riley's Third Base Spot (Updated)

The Atlanta Braves lost yet another major league regular yesterday with the news that third baseman Austin Riley is going to miss six to eight weeks with a broken hand suffered on Sunday against the Los Angeles Angels.

Just one day after announcing his injury, they may have already found a replacement.

Per multiple reports, first from the New York Post's Joel Sherman, the Braves have reached an agreement with former Detroit Tigers third baseman Gio Urshela .

UPDATE: The Braves have officially announced the signing . Urshela is expected to be active for tonight's series opener versus Philadelphia. Reliever A.J. Minter (hip) was moved to the 60-day injured list to create a 40-man roster spot for Urshela.

Urshela, 32, signed a one-year deal with the Tigers but struggled. Batting just .243 with a .619 OPS and five homers, Urshela was designated for assignment when Detroit called up several infield prospects as part of a continued youth movement for the Tigers this season.

In his nine-year career, he's played for six different organizations. His best season was in 2019 at the age of 27, where he hit .314 with a .889 OPS with the New York Yankees. As the starting third baseman, he hit 21 homers and drove in 74.

But injuries and ineffectiveness have taken a toll on Urshela. After being traded from New York to the Minnesota Twins ahead of the 2022 season, he signed with the Los Angeles Angels last season and played in just 62 games after fracturing his pelvis.

Atlanta was low on options, however. Internally, the only infielder on the 40-man roster was prospect Nacho Alvarez Jr, who hasn't played for Triple-A Gwinnett since last Wednesday owing to a bout of pneumonia. Other options included former big league third baseman Brian Anderson, recent International League Player of the Week Alejo López, and recently DFA'd Zack Short, who filled in for Riley this summer when the slugger missed two weeks with an intercostal strain.