The Detroit Tigers and Gio Urshela are close to parting ways after he came off the waivers list on Sunday.
The Tigers made the move at the same time they announced that outfielder Riley Greene would become the 27th player activated from the 10-day injured list for Sunday’s Little League Classic game against the New York Yankees.
Urshela was already designated for transfer. His waiver release means no team has claimed him and no team was interested in a potential transfer.
Urshela, 32, has one final step to take before becoming a free agent: clearing release waivers. When a player clears release waivers, it’s usually a formality.
At that point, he would be free to sign a contract with any club and receive a prorated salary for the remainder of the season. In the offseason, he signed a one-year, $1.5 million contract with Detroit.
Urshela was affected by the Tigers’ youth movement in the infield on Friday when they selected the contracts of infielders Jace Jung and Trey Sweeney, necessitating changes to their 40- and 26-man rosters.
In addition to Urshela’s option, the Tigers also sent Akil Baddoo to Triple-A Toledo. Sweeney and Jung are expected to get most of their playing time as shortstop and third baseman, respectively, as Detroit reassesses their roles for 2025.
He signed with Detroit in the offseason and it was his fourth team in four years. He played in 92 games and posted a batting average of .243/.286/.333/.619 with five home runs and 37 RBIs.
Urshela’s value after last season was down after he struggled with injuries in the 2023 season and was only able to play in 62 games. But he still hit .299/.329/.374/.703 with two home runs and 24 RBI.
From 2019-22, he played for the New York Yankees (2019-21) and the Minnesota Twins (2022), hitting .290 with 54 home runs and 217 RBI, making him a valuable center fielder before hitting the free agent market after the Yankees traded him to the Twins before the 2022 season.
He made his breakthrough into the Major League in 2015 with the Cleveland Guardians. That season, he played 81 games and achieved a batting average of .225 with six home runs and 21 RBIs.
The Guardians sent him back to Triple-A Columbus in 2016 before he returned to the majors in 2017, playing 67 games and posting a .224 batting average with one home run and 15 RBI.
He played the 2018 season with Toronto after the Guardians traded him, and managed 19 games with the Blue Jays before being traded again, this time to the Yankees. That season, he made a name for himself with a .314 batting average and a career-best 21 home runs.
