Gio Urshela DVOA, Advanced Stats, & Fantasy Rankings

Athletics third baseman Gio Urshela (rest) is out of the starting lineup ahead of Saturday's game against the Seattle Mariners. Urshela will get a rest day here after playing in the first two games of the season. He has gone 1-for-7 at the plate, so maybe a night off will help him get back on track. Luis Urias will cover the hot corner and bat seventh versus right-hander Bryce Miller. Neither player is offering enough value right now to warrant rostering in most fantasy formats at the moment.

According to Ken Rosenthal of MLB on FOX, the Athletics have signed free agent infielder Gio Urshela to a one-year contract. Urshela spent the 2024 campaign playing in Detroit and Atlanta. Across 128 games, the infielder held a .250/.286/.361 line with 19 doubles, nine home runs and no stolen bases. Urshela showed a great eye at the plate with a 15.6% K rate and 20.3% whiff rate which were both significantly above the average marks. In addition, he also generated a .264 xBA which suggest he could be due for some positive regression in 2025. In 2022 and 2023 he posted a .285 AVG and .299 AVG respectively. Fantasy managers should expect him to have an everyday role at the hot corner with the Athletics and could be worth a look in deeper AL-only formats given his low strikeout rate and solid batting average.

The Atlanta Braves signed free-agent infielder Gio Urshela to a major-league contract on Tuesday and placed third baseman Austin Riley (hand) on the 10-day injured list (retroactive to Aug. 19) with a fractured right hand in a corresponding move. To make room on the 40-man roster, the Braves moved left-handed reliever A.J. Minter (elbow) to the 60-day IL. Urshela was recently cut by the Detroit Tigers after hitting .243/.286/.333 with a weak .619 OPS, five home runs, 37 RBI and 25 runs scored in 300 at-bats in 2024. It's clear the Braves are desperate for help at the hot corner with Riley now expected to miss the rest of the year. Down on the farm, they're auditioning veteran Yuli Gurriel at third base. Urshela could immediately slot in at the hot corner in Atlanta, starting on Tuesday against the division-rival Philadelphia Phillies, but he doesn't warrant fantasy attention outside of NL-only leagues.