The injury-plagued Atlanta Braves are expected to sign third baseman Gio Urshela, according to multiple reports.
The Braves reportedly will add Urshela to their roster Tuesday, one day after announcing that star third baseman Austin Riley will miss six to eight weeks with a broken hand.
Urshela, 32, was released Sunday by the Tigers after clearing outright waivers. The nine-year veteran appeared in 92 games this season for Detroit, batting .243 with five home runs and 37 RBIs.
The Braves hope Urshela will help fill the void created by the injury to Riley, who was hit on his right hand by a pitch during Sunday’s victory over the Angels. The two-time All-Star slugger will miss the rest of the regular season and likely will be out into the playoffs should the Braves qualify.
The Braves (66-58) entered Tuesday with a 1.5-game lead over the Mets for the last wild-card spot in the National League. Atlanta hosts the first-place Phillies (73-51) on Tuesday in the opener of a three-game series and the first of seven contests between the NL East rivals over the next 13 days.
Atlanta has won six straight division titles, but that streak is in jeopardy after a rash of injuries.
The Braves already lost NL MVP Ronald Acuna Jr. and pitching ace Spencer Strider to season-ending injuries, while several other key players, including three-time All-Star second baseman Ozzie Albies, two-time All-Star left-hander Max Fried, center fielder Michael Harris II, catcher Sean Murphy and reliever A.J. Minter have missed major time.
The Braves don’t have many viable options in their organization to replace Riley at third base. Luke Williams, who is just 2 of 17 on the season, took over Sunday at third base after Riley was injured but hardly seems like a full-time option. The Braves also could move Whit Merrifield, currently filling in at second base for Albies, over to third and give another shot to top prospect Nacho Alvarez.
Alvarez, however, was just 3 for 30 as the first choice to replace Albies, leading the Braves to return him to Triple-A Gwinnett.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.