The Minnesota Twins have complete confidence in the existence of Royce Lewis the man at third base in 2026. However, given his consistent trips to the injured list, the team should prepare for the worst. Lewis has already played more than a hundred games in one season in his career, so reinforcements are needed.
On Monday, the Twins signed Gio Urshela to a minor league deal with an invitation to Spring Training 2026. Daniel Álvarez-Montes of El Extrabase reported for the first time. It’s an unexpected reunion, but this is a good call from Minnesota.
Colombian INF Gio Urshela has agreed with the Minnesota Twins, sources say @ElExtrabase. It’s a minor league deal with a Spring Training invite.
— Daniel Álvarez-Montes (@DanielAlvarezEE) February 9, 2026
Minnesota Twins and Gio Urshela reunite on minor league deal ahead of 2026 Spring Training
Urshela played for the Twins in 2022, producing a 2.9 bWAR with 43 extra base hits, a .285 batting average and 136 games at third base. Since then, Urshela has played the hot corner in 203 games with the Angels, Athletics and Tigers.
He’s bouncing around, but ideally he’ll be on his best behavior with the Twins in his second stint with the organization. In 2025, Urshela generated a negative bWAR for the Athletics, with a 71 OPS+ and .613 OPS. Urshela didn’t hit a home run in 59 games. He went on a hot streak in August, hitting 10-for-his-last-31 before being designated for assignment and released.
Is Urshela ready for a comeback in 2026? The odds aren’t great, but he’s succeeded here, and it hasn’t been that long. However, all of those concerns can be put to rest if Royce Lewis stays healthy.
Currently on the roster, Tristan Gray and Eric Wagaman could also play third base as a backup, but they were only at third base for eight games in 2025. Luke Keaschall could also play third base, but he would have to remain as a regular at second base.
Another infielder who might have been earmarked for a Twins reunion was Luis Arraez, but the club decided to stay away. They opted to return to Urshela, and hopefully they won’t have to use him more than a few times in 2026, but let’s keep our fingers crossed that a career revival is underway for the 34-year-old. Even if he doesn’t pan out, this isn’t a move that could hurt the team much. It is cheap and replaceable.
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