Third baseman Gio Urshela has called time on his professional baseball career, making the announcement Monday after spending a decade in Major League Baseball across eight different franchises and appearing in 851 games.
The 34-year-old player shared his decision through a heartfelt message on Instagram, writing: “Today is the day to close this chapter as a professional player, and this is not a moment to be sad. It is a moment to be grateful to God for allowing me to play this beautiful sport that changed my life.”
Urshela’s career truly flourished during his time with the New York Yankees from 2019 through 2021, following underwhelming stints in Cleveland during 2015 and 2017, plus a season in Toronto in 2018. His breakout 2019 campaign saw him post impressive numbers with a .314 batting average, 21 home runs, and 74 RBIs. He maintained strong performance in the pandemic-shortened 2020 season with a .298 average, followed by a .267 average with 14 homers and 49 RBIs in 2021.
The Yankees traded Urshela along with catcher Gary Sanchez to the Minnesota Twins on March 13, 2022, receiving infielders Josh Donaldson and Isiah Kiner-Falefa plus catcher Ben Rortvedt in return.
Following his Minnesota tenure, Urshela played for the Los Angeles Angels in 2023, split the 2024 season between the Detroit Tigers and Atlanta Braves, and most recently appeared with the Athletics in 2025. He entered free agency after participating in spring training with the Twins.
Urshela concludes his professional career with a .270 lifetime batting average, recording 312 runs, 73 home runs, and 352 RBIs over his 10-season tenure.
