Gio Urshela facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Gio Urshela |
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Urshela with the New York Yankees in 2020
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| Athletics – No. 13 | |||
| Third baseman | |||
| Born: October 11, 1991 Cartagena, Colombia |
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| debut | |||
| June 9, 2015, for the Cleveland Indians | |||
| MLB statistics (through July 2, 2025) |
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| Batting average | .271 | ||
| Home runs | 73 | ||
| Runs batted in | 347 | ||
| Teams | |||
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Giovanny Urshela Salcedo, born on October 11, 1991, is a professional baseball player from Colombia. He plays as a third baseman for the Athletics in Major League Baseball (MLB). Urshela has also played for several other MLB teams. These include the Cleveland Indians, Toronto Blue Jays, New York Yankees, Minnesota Twins, Los Angeles Angels, Detroit Tigers, and Atlanta Braves. He first played in the MLB in 2015 with the Cleveland Indians.
Gio Urshela's Baseball Journey
Starting with the Cleveland Indians
Gio Urshela began his professional baseball career in July 2008. He signed with the Cleveland Indians as a young player from another country. In 2009, he started playing in minor leagues. These included the Dominican Summer League Indians and the Arizona League Indians.
By 2014, Urshela was playing for the Akron team. Later that season, he moved up to the Columbus Clippers. This team is part of the Class AAA International League. After the 2014 season, the Indians added Urshela to their main roster. Experts at MLB.com even called him the Indians' fourth-best young player in 2015.
Urshela started the 2015 season with Columbus. He was called up to the major leagues on June 8, 2015. Just three days later, on June 11, he got his first major league hit. It was a single, and in the same game, he hit his first major league home run. This happened against the Seattle Mariners. He spent all of 2016 playing for Columbus. During the off-season, he played winter baseball in Venezuela.
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In 2017, Urshela played in 67 major league games for Cleveland. He had a batting average of .224. He started the 2018 season on the disabled list due to an injury. After getting better, the Indians decided to let him go on May 4. He had played 453 times at bat for Cleveland.
Playing for the Toronto Blue Jays
On May 9, 2018, the Cleveland Indians traded Urshela to the Toronto Blue Jays. He played in 19 games for Toronto. During this time, he hit one home run and had three runs batted in (RBIs). His batting average was .233. On June 26, the Blue Jays decided to let him go. He then joined their Triple-A team, the Buffalo Bisons, on July 3. He batted .244 in 91 times at bat for the Bisons.
Time with the New York Yankees
On August 4, 2018, the Blue Jays traded Urshela to the New York Yankees. The Yankees sent him to their minor league team, the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders. There, he worked with a hitting coach named Phil Plantier. They changed his batting style to help him hit better. Urshela batted .307 in 107 times at bat for the RailRiders.
The Yankees brought Urshela up to the main team on April 6, 2019. This happened because their starting third baseman, Miguel Andújar, had a shoulder injury. Urshela started the season hitting very well, with a .352 batting average. He kept playing for the Yankees even when Andújar briefly returned in May. Andújar soon needed surgery, so Urshela continued as the main third baseman.
Urshela was the Yankees' starting third baseman for the 2020 season. He played in 43 of the team's 60 games. He missed some time in August because of a groin injury. He had a batting average of .298, hit 6 home runs, and had 30 RBIs. He was also excellent at fielding, with a .992 fielding percentage. On September 30, 2020, Urshela made history. He hit a grand slam in a playoff game against his old team, the Cleveland Indians. This was the first time a Yankees third baseman hit a grand slam in the postseason. The Yankees won that series but later lost in the next round.
Moving to the Minnesota Twins
On March 13, 2022, the Yankees traded Urshela and another player, Gary Sánchez, to the Minnesota Twins. In return, the Yankees received three players. In 2022, Urshela batted .285. He was picked off base twice, which was the most in the major leagues that year.
In October 2022, it was announced that Urshela would play winter baseball. He joined his hometown team, the Tigres de Cartagena, in Colombia.
Playing for the Los Angeles Angels
On November 18, 2022, Urshela was traded from the Twins to the Los Angeles Angels. He started the 2023 season as the Angels' regular shortstop. However, on June 16, 2023, Urshela was placed on the injured list. He had a left pelvis fracture. A few days later, on June 21, the Angels announced that he would miss the rest of the 2023 season. He did not need surgery.
With the Detroit Tigers
On February 22, 2024, Urshela signed a one-year contract with the Detroit Tigers. He played in 92 games for the Tigers. He batted .243, hit five home runs, and had 37 RBIs. On August 16, the Tigers decided to let him go. He was officially released two days later.
Joining the Atlanta Braves
On August 20, 2024, Urshela signed a one-year contract with the Atlanta Braves. He played in 36 games for Atlanta. He batted .265, hit 4 home runs, and had 15 RBIs.
Current Team: The Athletics
On December 19, 2024, Urshela signed a one-year contract with the Athletics. He is currently playing for them.
Playing for His Country
Before the 2013 season, Gio Urshela played for the Colombian national baseball team. They tried to qualify for the World Baseball Classic. However, they lost to Panama and did not make it into the tournament. He played for the Colombian team again when they qualified for the 2017 World Baseball Classic. In that tournament, he had two hits in 14 times at bat.
Urshela was also named to the Colombian team for the 2026 World Baseball Classic qualifiers. These games are scheduled for March 2025.
About Gio's Life
Gio Urshela is married to his wife, Danna. In 2022, they welcomed their daughter. Danna works as a journalist in Colombia.
See also
In Spanish: Giovanny Urshela para niños
