When a Major League Baseball player begins his career, he has no idea when it is going to end. If everything goes right, he’ll be able to play as long as he wants and can leave the game on his own terms with great memories.
It is very rare for a player to get an ideal ending, so most of them depart without much fanfare or notice. But it is always a good idea to look back whenever someone decides to hang up the spikes.
The Cleveland Guardians are doing just that. Former infielder Gio Urshela, who made his MLB debut with the franchise in 2015, has announced his retirement on social media.
“Today is the day. The day you never dream about, the day you never imagine, the day you never expect to come … but deep down you know that one day it will arrive. 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 posted on Instagram.
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Urshela signed a minor league contract with the Minnesota Twins this offseason and played for Colombia in the 2026 World Baseball Classic. But he was released before Opening Day and did not find a spot on another team.
The 34-year-old played last year with the Athletics, which was his second campaign with them. In his 10 major league seasons, he also played for the New York Yankees, Minnesota Twins, Detroit Tigers, Los Angeles Angels, Atlanta Braves, and Toronto Blue Jays.
Urshela signed with the Cleveland franchise in July 2008 as an international free agent. The third baseman worked his way up through the system and arrived in the big leagues in June 2015, playing 81 games that season.
After batting just .225 as a rookie, Urshela spent the entire 2016 season in Triple-A. Meanwhile, Cleveland made it to the seventh game of the World Series, which it lost to the Chicago Cubs.
Urshela returned to the team for the 2017 season, and he batted .224 in 67 games, splitting time at third base with Jose Ramirez, who also played second base. Urshela was designated for assignment in May 2018 and wound up with the Blue Jays. He then had his best MLB season with the Yankees in 2019, hitting 21 home runs while batting .314.
Overall, Urshela played 851 MLB games, and he is leaving with a career he can be very proud of.
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