Urshela anchoring 3B for Braves down the stretch

ATLANTA -- Two days after Austin Riley suffered a broken right hand after being hit by a pitch in Anaheim against the Angels on Aug. 18, the Braves signed veteran infielder Gio Urshela as insurance. As it turns out, Urshela will be Atlanta’s third baseman for as far as the club goes this year, as Riley was ruled out for the rest of 2024.

Urshela, released by the Tigers the same week as Riley’s injury after slashing .243/.286/.333 in 92 games, has had an upward trend recently with the Braves. Going into Wednesday’s second game of Atlanta’s key three-game set against the Mets, the 32-year-old Colombia native was riding a seven-game hitting streak in which he was 12-29 (.414) with four doubles and two home runs. In five of those contests, Urshela had multiple hits.

“Sometimes, you need a change of scenery and to hit rock bottom to find out who you really are,” Urshela said. “I’m really happy with the opportunity that they gave me here.”

With the Braves, Urshela has hit .270/.288/.426 with nine doubles and three home runs in 118 plate appearances. On defense, he’s registered +3 Outs Above Average in 123 games between Detroit and Atlanta.

“I’ve played a lot [in Atlanta] and the truth is that’s why I’m really thankful,” Urshela said.