Former Tigers infielder signs with NL playoff contender after recent release

When the Tigers called up Jace Jung and Trey Sweeney, roster sacrifices had to be made. Although fans would've much preferred to see top prospects make their major league debuts than the Tigers aimlessly wait on them until next season, it meant that a couple of more or less surprising cuts: Easton Lucas and veteran Gio Urshela.

Lucas was a May pickup for Detroit after the Athletics DFA'ed him. He was recalled and optioned twice by the Tigers, and he only ended up pitching 3 1/3 innings for Detroit (while giving up two runs) before being DFA'ed again. He was picked up by the Blue Jays, but it wasn't hard for fans to watch him walk.

Seeing Urshela go was marginally harder, though. He was only on a one-year deal with the Tigers at $1.5 million, which was sort of a steal for a versatile infielder and oftentimes surprisingly powerful bat. The Tigers kept him at the trade deadline, probably owing to his .241/.273/.367 line through July, but he got the bump when the roster crunch came.

Urshela was DFA'ed on Sunday and cleared waivers before being unconditionally released by the Tigers. However, a job opened up in Atlanta during that time: Austin Riley went down, presumably for the rest of the season, with a fractured hand. Joel Sherman reported that Urshela and the Braves are headed toward a major league contract.

Braves reportedly jump on veteran Gio Urshela after DFA by Tigers

All told, Urshela batted .243 with a .619 OPS while bouncing around the infield for the Tigers. He was the only veteran position player Detroit picked up during the offseason alongside Mark Canha, and now both have moved on as the Tigers focus more heavily on developing their young players ahead of the 2025 season.

The Braves are currently sitting in the last NL Wild Card spot, though the Mets are hot on their heels and will probably give them some trouble as we get closer to the postseason. However, Urshela is a nice stopgap and could be a solid postseason helper, if Atlanta does get there. His best postseason showing was in 2019 with the Yankees, when he had two homers and a pair of RBI over nine games.

This is kind of a win-win all around. The Tigers let some of their top prospects get to the show, and Urshela heads to playoff contender to make a better argument for himself in his impending free agency.