Yankees call up Gio Urshela, option Thairo Estrada to Triple-A

Well, that was fast. Infield prospect Thairo Estrada was called up before Thursday’s game after Troy Tulowitzki hit the injured list. He did not play in that game, and has already been sent down. The Yankees announced that Estrada was optioned to Triple-A Scranton. Gio Urshela is headed to the majors.

Urshela, 27, spent parts of three seasons in the big leagues with Cleveland and Toronto. Primarily a third baseman, he also has limited experience at shortstop, second base, and first. He slashed .321/.345/.679 with two home runs during spring training, and was off to a hot start in Scranton, so maybe the Yankees can catch lightning in a bottle.

Because of his big league experience, Urshela probably makes more sense than Estrada for the time being. The latter only has a handful of Triple-A games under his belt. It is too bad that we didn’t get a look at Estrada before he was sent back down, though. Given the Yankees’ laundry-list of injuries, we can almost count on seeing him again soon.

Speaking of the decimated infield, the Yankees also transferred Didi Gregorius to the 60-day injured list today. No big surprise there since the shortstop isn’t expected to return until June at the earliest. In the meantime, the Yankees need that roster spot.