The 2025 MLB regular season has been a memorable one to start for the Detroit Tigers. The Tigers are currently 43-25, which means they have the best record in the American League and the major leagues.
If you are a Tigers fan, you are enjoying this start, especially considering how much fun last year was from the push to get into the playoffs and taking down the Houston Astros in two games in the AL Wild Card series.
However, not everyone is having fun this season, especially former Tigers players who might be playing elsewhere. Veteran Gio Urshela is one of those guys as he’s currently playing with the Athletics.
Ex-Tiger Gio Urshela Having Down Year at Plate With A's
The versatile infielder is slashing .224/.276/.337 with nine doubles, a triple, and 13 RBI in 32 games. The last time Urshela hit .224 at the plate was in 2017 with Cleveland. He was only 25 years old.
This season, the former Tigers infielder has struggled against right-handed pitching, hitting a pedestrian .222 at the plate, but has 12 RBI. On the other hand, in a small sample size, he’s slugging .235 against left-handed pitching.
Urshela got off to a slow start in March and April, slashing .208/.256/.325 in 24 games. But that quickly improved in May, when he upped his triple-slash line to .286/.348/.381 in eight games.
However, the injury bug got the ex-Tiger as he was placed on the 10-day injured list late last month. Urshela is reportedly set to start a rehab assignment soon, so hopefully he’ll pick up where he left off.
Urshela’s tenure in the Motor City was surprisingly short after he signed a one-year, $1.5 million deal last offseason. The veteran played in 92 games before being designated for assignment on Aug. 16, 2024, and released three days later.
When he was released, Urshela hit .243 with five home runs and 37 RBI and had an OPS of .619. But the former Tiger wasn’t sitting in free agency for long as the Atlanta Braves signed Urshela.
In 32 games with the Braves, Urshela slashed .265/.287/.424 with four home runs, 15 RBI, and an OPS of .711. Therefore, the Athletics would love to see Urshela return to his 2024 form when he comes off the injured list, but it's a wait-and-see.