Gio Urshela #13 of the Detroit Tigers walks off the field with a trainer. (Photo by David Berding/Getty Images)
The Detroit Tigers placed Colombian infielder Gio Urshela on the 10-day injured list with a right hamstring strain on April 20.
Urshela, 32, was born in Cartagena, Colombia, and played nine seasons in Major League Baseball: with the Cleveland Indians in 2015 and 2017, the Toronto Blue Jays in 2018, the New York Yankees from 2019-21, the Minnesota Twins in 2022, and the Los Angeles Angels in 2023.
He signed as a free agent to Detroit on February 22 to a one-year deal worth $1.5 million.
Urshela elected free agency from the Angels on November 2, 2023, before signing with the Tigers.
Urshela played 18 games with the Tigers and batted .298 in 58 plate appearances. He had 17 hits, two doubles, six RBI, one walk, and 10 strikeouts before he landed on the injured list.
He played in 17 games and started in 14 at third base through 125 innings to start the 2024 season and had 27 chances, four putouts, 22 assists, one error, and a .963 fielding percentage.
He played 18 games in spring training and batted .294 with 51 plate appearances, recording 15 hits, four doubles, six RBI, and 11 strikeouts.
During the 2023-24 winter league season, Urshela played in Liga Profesional De Béisbol Colombia with the Caimanes de Barranquilla and LIDOM with the Tigres del Licey.
Urshela played in 11 games with the Caimanes de Barranquilla, batted .282 in 45 plate appearances, and ripped 11 hits, two doubles, five RBI, five walks, and two strikeouts before heading to the Dominican Republic.
He played in one game with the Tigres del Licey on January 16, during the semifinals of the LIDOM postseason against the Leones del Escogido at Estadio Quisqueya Juan Marichal in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. He had three at-bats, one walk, and one strikeout.
Last season, Urshela played in Anaheim and batted .299, playing in 62 games with 228 plate appearances, roping 64 hits, eight doubles, one triple, two home runs, 24 RBI, 10 walks, 36 strikeouts, and a .703 OPS.
Urshela landed on the 60-day injured list with a left pelvis fracture on June 24, 2023, and was out for the remainder of the season.
Urshela played for the Colombian national team at the 2023 World Baseball Classic in Pool C in Phoenix at Chase Field. He played four games and did not record a hit in his 14 at-bats, with one RBI, two walks, and three strikeouts. Colombia went 1-3 at the 2023 WBC. They must qualify for the 2026 tournament due to the Total Quality Balance run differential rule for the World Baseball Softball Confederation and losing to Great Britain, who ended up with the same record.
In his nine seasons in the MLB, Urshela has a lifetime average of .278. He played in 682 games with 2,428 plate appearances, recording 625 hits, 116 doubles, seven triples, 64 home runs, 286 RBI, seven stolen bases, 143 walks, 453 strikeouts, and a .703 OPS.
