Cleveland Indians: Decision on Urshela coming soon

The Cleveland Indians have a big decision to make today as Gio Urshela returns from his rehab assignment.

Should the Tribe DFA Giovanny Urshela, or the incumbent Erik Gonzalez? They both fill the same role on the team and both are out of minor league options. One of them will have to be exposed to waivers.

There is a high risk that whoever is put on waivers will be claimed by another team. This is more than just a ‘who do we want on our 25 man roster?’ question. This is a ‘who do we want to keep in our organization?’ question.

We’ve covered this topic before and came to the conclusion that Urshela is more likely to get designated for assignment based on his lower offensive output over his career.

Related Story: What happens when Giovanny Urshela returns?

Has anything changed?

It doesn’t appear much has changed. Gonzalez has been able to get something going in his limited appearances at the plate. He’s hitting .333 (5-for-15) with one double, one triple, and one RBI. He does have five strikeouts, which amounts to a pretty high K-percentage.

However, Gonzalez did start the season 0-for-7. Now that he’s 5-for-15, that means he’s gone 5-for-8 since Urshela went on his rehab assignment. His bat has performed lately and that could be a very good sign for Gonzalez sticking around in Cleveland.

When is the decision coming?

After yesterday’s game, the Tribe had 24 hours to figure out what to do with Urshela. That means the decision will come down today sometime. It could be a sleepless night for both Urshela and Gonzalez as they await their fates.

Any guess as to who stays?

I still think the Cleveland Indians will stick with Erik Gonzalez as their utility infielder. He’s been hitting in his limited opportunities and has been a healthy reliable option. His bat has more potential than Urshela’s does and Gonzalez has done nothing to lose his spot.

As much as the Tribe would like to keep Urshela in the organization, that may not be in the cards. I may be wrong, and the team could stand by Urshela, but we’ll all find out soon enough.

Next: Adam Plutko called upon for doubleheader

This decision isn’t exactly make or break for the Cleveland Indians and their long term success, but it’s an interesting one considering the effect it will have on their organizational depth.