Atlanta made an expected swift addition yesterday morning in wake of the Austin Riley injury news. Veteran Gio Urshela was brought in and immediately penciled in at third base last night for the series opener against the Phillies.
Urshela didn't collect a hit last night, but he did drive in a run with a bases loaded walk. For now it seems Urshela is going to get his shot at holding down the third base job. However, that doesn't mean the Braves are banking on him to do so successfully.
Instead, Atlanta is keeping their options open by maneuvering a former World Series champion away from his current first base/DH role, and now allowing him to play third base at the Triple-A level.
Yuli Gurriel set to play third base for Gwinnett
Yes, the former Astro is preparing to get reps at third base for Gwinnett this week. Gurriel hasn't played third base since 2019, but his bat (and the lack of viable third base depth elsewhere in the organization) is leading the Braves to get a look at how Gurriel can play third base in 2024.
Why don't I fix a spell check mistake to Yuli: Also heard that the Braves intend to have Yuli Gurriel begin to play some third base at AAA. Gurriel, 40, has not started at the position in the majors since 2019 and hasn't played at all in the majors this year. He's hitting .300… https://t.co/eFODZPkQ0F
— Joel Sherman (@Joelsherman1) August 20, 2024
The eight-year veteran is enjoying a nice year with Gwinnett. Gurriel owns a .300/.380/.498 slash line in 72 games played this season. The 40 year-old Cuban was brought in to serve as insurance should Matt Olson go down, but instead he may be manning another corner infield spot.
However, that would require Urshela falling flat, and perhaps even a couple other options not panning out over the next couple of weeks.
As things stand entering today, the Braves hold a 2.5 game lead over the New York Mets for the final NL Wild Card spot. This is why the front office is turning over every possible stone there is to find. Should Gurriel showcase a decent glove and continue to hit for Gwinnett; partnered with third base becoming a black hole at the Major League level, we may end up seeing one of the most unorthodox moves of this season.