New York Yankees: Gio Urshela picks up right where he left off

New York Yankees, Gio Urshela
April 25, 2019; Anaheim, CA, USA; New York Yankees third baseman Gio Urshela (29) rounds the bases after hitting a solo home run against the Los Angeles Angels during the fifth inning at Angel Stadium of Anaheim. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

After a brief 11 day stint on the IL, Gio Urshela made his return to the New York Yankees on Tuesday. By the looks of things, you’d hardly be able to tell he was on the IL by the way he played.

Urshela bat 3-for-4 with two doubles in a 20-6 Yankees slaughter over the Toronto Blue Jays. The extra-base hits boosted his OPS above .900 for the first time since early August, and helped lead the Yankees to their sixth straight win.

Dating back to before the IL stint, Urshela has gotten hits in 10 of his last 19 at-bats. He sits with six home runs, 23 RBIs, and a 1.5 WAR on the season.

When Urshela was out, the Yankees saw Miguel Andujar take third-base, and he finally seemed to get things going. Andujar hit .355 in nine games in place of Urshela, but was optioned to the alternate site to make room for the starting third-baseman.

In addition to Urshela returning, Giancarlo Stanton made his first appearance in over a month after a hamstring strain sidelined him. Stanton went hitless in four at-bats.

To make room for Stanton, the team optioned Mike Ford. Ford has struggled in 2020, going just 10-of-74 with two home runs and 11 RBIs. He had a -0.6 WAR and a sub-.500 OPS.

Things are finally starting to come back together for the New York Yankees. They are winning games again, and some important players are returning from injury. Aaron Judge will be the next to return, expected to be activated with a few days.

With a week and a half left in the regular season, the team trails four games in the division race but they seem to slowly be securing their playoff spot.