The Atlanta Braves have taken action by acquiring third baseman Gio Urshela following the unfortunate injury update on Austin Riley. With Riley sidelined for the remainder of the 2024 MLB regular season, the Braves reportedly secured a deal with Urshela.
Initial reports of Atlanta’s interest in Urshela came from Joel Sherman of the New York Post on Tuesday morning.
“Gio Urshela, released by the Tigers on Sunday, is close to finalizing a major league contract with the Braves,” Sherman reported. He added that Atlanta announced Monday that Riley would be out for 6-8 weeks due to a fractured right hand.
About an hour after Sherman’s post on X (formerly Twitter), Jon Heyman, also of the New York Post, confirmed that Urshela had indeed signed with the Braves.
The Braves moved quickly to bolster their third base options after Riley’s injury. His recovery is expected to take six to eight weeks, potentially allowing him to return for the postseason—assuming Atlanta makes it. Meanwhile, Urshela, recently released by the Detroit Tigers, now has a chance to make an impact with a team eyeing a playoff run. In 92 games this season with the Tigers, Urshela hit .243/.286/.333 with five home runs and 37 RBIs. Since 2023, which also included a stint with the Los Angeles Angels, he has posted an 81 OPS+ and a .267/.304/.350 batting line.