Detroit Tigers sign infielder Gio Urshela to one-year, $1.5 million contract

LAKELAND, Fla. — The Detroit Tigers have added to their mix of infielders in spring training.

The Tigers signed infielder Gio Urshela, an eight-year MLB veteran, to a one-year, $1.5 million contract. The 32-year-old can earn a maximum of $500,000 in incentives for plate appearances: $100,000 each for 500, 530, 560, 590 and 620.

Urshela has already arrived in Lakeland, Florida, and will be in workouts with the Tigers on Friday morning. He passed his physical exam Thursday afternoon, making the deal official. Outfielder T.J. Hopkins, claimed off waivers Tuesday, was designated for assignment to create room for Urshela on the 40-man roster.

Urshela, a right-handed hitter who performs well against left-handed pitchers, primarily plays third base but has experience at other infield positions. He has above-average contact rates when he swings, both inside and outside the strike zone.

He has played 4,620⅓ innings at third base throughout his career, followed by 359 innings at shortstop, 157⅔ innings at first base, 28⅔ innings at second base and one inning in left field. He was worth plus-6 defensive runs saved last season at third base.

Urshela was an American League Gold Glove finalist at third in 2020.

In 2023, Urshela hit .299 with two home runs, 10 walks (4.4% walk rate) and 36 strikeouts (15.8% strikeout rate) across 62 games with the Los Angeles Angels. He hit .373 with a .868 OPS against left-handed pitchers and .276 with a .652 OPS against right-handed pitchers.

He didn’t take the field after June 15 last season because of a broken pelvis that ended his season. He also missed time before the season-ending injury with back soreness.

The Tigers now have several players in the mix at third base: Urshela (right-handed hitter), Andy Ibáñez (right-handed hitter), Zach McKinstry (left-handed hitter) and Matt Vierling (right-handed hitter). Both McKinstry and Vierling are comfortable playing in the outfield, whereas Urshela and Ibáñez will get almost all of their reps in the infield. There’s also Colt Keith, a left-handed hitting second baseman.