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Yankees News: Gio Urshela Exits vs. Braves with Back Injury
April 22, 2021
New York Yankees third baseman Gio Urshela left Wednesday's game against the Atlanta Braves early due to back tightness, the team announced.
Urshela was 1-for-3 with a single before departing the game in the seventh inning.
Rougned Odor moved into the lineup and DJ LeMahieu slid over to the hot corner as the Yankees trailed the Braves, 3-0. They eventually fell, 4-1.
Urshela grounded into in a double play and was in discomfort as he made his way down the first-base line in his last at-bat.
The 29-year-old was hitting .273 entering the night, the second-highest average among the Yankees' everyday players behind LeMahieu's .300. He played a major role in the team's 3-1 victory over Atlanta on Tuesday, going 2-for-3 with a double and a solo home run.
If he's forced to miss time, Odor will likely see time in the infield with LeMahieu continuing to slide over to third. The insertion of Odor would do little to help New York's woes, as he's hitting just .125 with a home run through seven games this season.
Urshela has been a bright spot for the otherwise unexciting Yankees, who entered Wednesday in last place in the AL East at 6-10, five games behind the first-place Boston Red Sox.
As a team, the Yankees entered Wednesday with a second-worst batting average at .204, with just 58 runs (third-worst) and 112 hits (fourth-worst).
They're back in action against Cleveland on Thursday at 6:10 p.m. ET.