Gio

Urshela

Harris has started the year going 16-for-41 (.390) with two home runs, three steals, seven RBI, and 13 runs scored. He didn’t produce in his first big league action last year, but with Gio Urshela hitting just .179/.220/.256 in 42 plate appearances for the Athletics this season, you have to wonder if another few strong weeks from Harris could push the team to make a move.

The bottom of the A’s order did nearly all of the damage on a night they scored ten runs on the Padres in Sacramento. Urshela had a big day at the plate. He drove in two runs with a double in the first inning and scored on a base hit by Max Muncy. Urshela doubled once again in the third to plate one more run. He added a base hit in the fifth for his third hit of the day. The 33-year-old third baseman doubled his hit total on the year after coming into this one 3-for-29 at the plate.

Urshela is off to a slow start, as he’s picked up hits in just 2-of-18 at-bats in his six starts. He’ll take a seat with Luis Urias hitting seventh and handling third base.

Urshela will get his first day off of the season. Luis Urias — a former Mariner who hit a pinch-hit homer during Friday’s blowout win — will handle the hot corner and hit seventh.

The deal was rumored earlier today and is now official. It’s a major league contract for Urías, who has no minor league options left, which means that he is likely to make the opening day roster. Even though Urías will provide support for Zack Gelof in case the youngster struggles again in 2025, there is a chance that Urías could also beat out Gio Urshela for the starting third base job. Both of those veterans can’t be sent to the minors without clearing waivers, so it’s likely that one of them is the starter with the other serving as a utility infielder off the bench.

This could be a minor league deal, but no news from the A’s yet. Last season, Urías hit .191/.303/.394 in 41 games for the Mariners, which actually worked out to a 105 OPS+. He’s gotten quite a bit worse defensively since he entered the league, but the bat is solid, even if it produces low averages. He might prove to be a better option at third than Gio Urshela.

It seemed like there were better third base options out there for the A’s, but they settled for the steady glove. Jon Heyman reported that the deal was worth $2.15 million and includes $400,000 in bonuses. The 33-year-old Urshela hit .250/.286/.361 in 128 games for the Tigers and Braves last season. He shouldn’t be much of a fantasy factor while hitting in the bottom half of the A’s lineup.

The 33-year-old is widely considered to be an above average defender, but Urshela slashed just .250/.286/.361 with nine homers and 52 RBI in 461 plate appearances between the Braves and Tigers during the 2024 campaign. It’s a nice signing for the A’s, as his presence will improve their overall infield, but Urshela shouldn’t be counted on for fantasy purposes.

Urshela went deep with a runner on in the seventh inning; one of a pair of two-run homers that Atlanta hit in the inning. He’s gone deep twice in his 29 games since coming over from the Tigers, and has mostly been a non-factor with the bat in his time there.

Urshela hit the ball 416 feet, easily a season high for him. His previous high was a 402-foot homer off Ben Lively in July. The Braves need a strong finish from Urshela here, but Urshela badly needs one, too, should he expect to be viewed as a potential regular at third base in free agency this winter. He’s hit .242/.280/.332 in 403 plate appearances.