MESA, Ariz. – The Athletics added some versatility to their infield on Monday by signing Luis Urías to a one-year deal.
Right-hander Luis Medina, who is recovering from Tommy John surgery, was moved to the 60-day injured list to clear a spot on the 40-man roster.
Urías, 27, broke out with the Brewers by combining to hit .244 with a .766 OPS, 39 home runs and 122 RBIs in 269 games from 2021-22. Since then, however, the Mexican-born infielder has struggled to recapture that form as he’s shifted between a few different teams. Spending the majority of last season with Seattle at Triple-A Tacoma, Urías appeared in 41 Major League games for the Mariners, hitting just .191 with a .697 OPS. Ahead of the non-tender deadline this offseason, Urías cleared waivers and elected free agency.
The A’s signed Gio Urshela over the winter with the expectation that he would be the club’s everyday third baseman. Beyond Urshela, the options for the A’s at third base entering Spring Training consisted of Darell Hernaiz and Brett Harris, both of whom got their feet wet in the big leagues as rookies last season, and Max Muncy, rated as the A’s No. 8 prospect by MLB Pipeline.
The signing allows Urías a strong opportunity to bounce back coming off a pair of down seasons, while the A’s get a veteran of seven Major League seasons with prior history of success at the highest level. He is likely to get most of his playing time at third base and second. Manager Mark Kotsay also mentioned backing up Jacob Wilson at shortstop as a possibility.
“We’ll see from the athleticism side once we get into games where he fits,” Kotsay said. “We felt like we could add a little depth to the infield with some experience. Urías has performed really well in Triple-A. At the Major League level, there’s been some ups and downs. Overall, he adds some value in that depth area.”