Athletics Designate Veteran Gio Urshela For Assignment

The veteran third baseman has been designated for assignment to make space for Brett Harris.

Aug 6, 2025; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Athletics third baseman Gio Urshela (13) relaxes while standing on second base against the Washington Nationals during the fifth inning at Nationals Park. Mandatory Credit: Rafael Suanes-Imagn Images | Rafael Suanes-Imagn Images

This afternoon, the A's announced that they have designated veteran infielder Gio Urshela for assignment. The team recalled Brett Harris from Triple-A, and have claimed left-handed Jared Shuster to take Urshela's place on the 40-man roster.

Urshela, 33, landed with the A's this past off-season in free agency, and was their opening day starter at third base. The veteran posted a .238 batting average with a .613 OPS and no home runs. Urshela was certainly a veteran presence in the A's clubhouse, but his struggles offensively ultimately led the team to have Brett Harris take his spot in the big leagues.

Upon the A's signing veteran starting pitcher Luis Severino to a franchise record contract, the team brought in Gio Urshela alongside him as his former teammate. The duo would join Miguel Andujar in Sacramento, where the three of them were once close teammates on the New York Yankees.

The A's ultimately dealt Miguel Andujar to the Reds before the trade deadline, and have now designated Urshela for assignment, leaving Severino the lone man of the trio on the A's roster.

Brett Harris had 103 at-bats with the A's in the big leagues last season, where he posted a rough .146 average and an OPS below .600. His glove has always been solid, and this year in Triple-A, the offensive numbers have also been there for Harris.

In Triple-A, Harris batted .282 with an .869 OPS in 216 at-bats and he cut his strikeout rate to 15.1% with the Aviators. All of that combined has made him a slightly above average bat in Las Vegas. With Urshela and Andujar both gone, Harris could get a nice chunk of time over at third base, though the returns of Max Muncy and Jacob Wilson could have an impact on that playing time.

Wilson is set to begin his rehab assignment with Las Vegas on Saturday, and his return could push Darell Hernaiz to third as well.

The A's also went out and claimed southpaw Jared Shuster off waivers. Shuster is 27-years-old and was a former first-round selection back in 2020 out of Wake Forest. The left-hander has already played on a couple of different clubs, including the Atlanta Braves, and most recently with the Chicago White Sox.

Shuster has struggled to find his footing in the big leagues, as he posted an ERA over five in his time in Atlanta (5.81) as a starting pitcher in 2023. In a full 2024 season, he posted a 4.30 ERA with the White Sox, mainly in a relief role. This season in the majors, Shuster has posted an 8.04 ERA in 15.2 innings pitched. The southpaw has also thrown in the White Sox Triple-A squad, where the results haven't been much better, with a 6.04 ERA in 22 innings.

Certainly there's a lot to like about Shuster, as he has some potential from being a first round selection just five years ago. Although he hasn't had success in the big leagues, keep a close eye on him as he's set to join the A's Triple-A affiliate in Las Vegas.