The Detroit Tigers are still the American League Central's leaders as they navigate the second half of August. The 2025 MLB postseason will be here in just over a month's time, and all eyes are on the Tigers to see if they will keep building momentum amid the franchise's 41-year World Series drought.
As exciting as the Tigers' eventual playoff berth will be, fans occasionally need a break from the current happenings. One fun exercise to accomplish that is by checking in on former Detroit players, whether they're excelling or failing with their current teams.
In the latest news, one former Tigers infielder is officially looking for work after parting ways with his latest team.
Athletics Release Gio Urshela https://t.co/aPI3eyxbT5 pic.twitter.com/IIeo0qBU2U
— MLB Trade Rumors (@mlbtraderumors) August 18, 2025
Former Tigers IF Gio Urshela Released After Being DFA'd by Athletics
On Monday afternoon, MLB Trade Rumors' Steve Adams reported that the Athletics have released veteran infielder Gio Urshela. The former Tigers signing's release comes three days after he was designated for assignment by the A's amid a forgettable 2025 performance.
Urshela is a well-traveled vet, having played 851 regular-season games across eight franchises, including 92 games with the Tigers in 2024. The grizzled journeyman signed a one-year contract with Detroit before the campaign began, but was DFA'd six months into the year after only slashing .243/286/.333 with five home runs, 37 RBIs, and 19 walks.
After finishing the 2024 season with the Atlanta Braves, Urshela joined the A's over the offseason in an attempt to bounce back. Instead, the ex-Tiger forgettably slashed .238/.287/.326 in 59 games (181 at-bats), picking up only 20 RBIs and 13 walks without a home run along the way.
It doesn't help that any power had once had is seemingly gone at this point, proven by his 86.2 mph average exit velocity being the second-worst effort of his career.
With August being over halfway over, Urshela must find a new team soon if he wants to play some postseason baseball. This year's MLB playoff roster deadline will go into effect on Sunday, Aug. 31, at 11:59 p.m. ET, giving the former Tiger less than two weeks to figure things out if playing in October is a goal.
With that in mind, MLB teams love to add experience to their roster, and Urshela's resume (73 HRs, 352 RBIs, and .722 OPS in 2,807 career ABs) could be enough to earn a last-minute opportunity. Only time will tell if that opportunity presents itself before the playoff roster deadline.