José Urquidy took the mound at Rate Field on September 8 and threw 4 innings against Pittsburgh — 5 hits, 2 runs, 65 pitches. It was his sixth appearance with the Chicago White Sox since joining the team in July, and while it wasn’t his sharpest outing, it didn’t need to be. The White Sox hold a three-game lead over Cleveland in the AL Central, and every reliable arm in that bullpen is worth its weight right now.
From Pittsburgh to Chicago: A Second Chance
Urquidy’s 2026 has two very different chapters. He signed with the Pittsburgh Pirates in February for $1.5 million, but it went sideways fast: an 8.53 ERA and 2.68 WHIP across just 6.1 major-league innings before Pittsburgh designated him for assignment on July 25. It looked like the Mazatlán native might be out of options.
The White Sox claimed him four days later in exchange for 21-year-old Dominican prospect Félix Doroteo, then sent him to Triple-A Charlotte to get right. He did exactly that. Urquidy had already posted a 3.66 ERA across 83.1 minor-league innings with Pittsburgh’s system — including a 1.74 ERA over his final six starts (31 innings). That was the pitcher Chicago was betting on.
His call-up came on August 14, and he’s been Will Venable’s go-to long man ever since. His best night: August 19 at Wrigley Field, 6 scoreless innings, 8 strikeouts, just 68 pitches against the Cubs. That earned him his second win of the year and made his role in the bullpen crystal clear.
Why He Matters in October
The White Sox entered September 8 at 75-68, three games ahead of the Cleveland Guardians. A critical series in Cleveland arrives September 14 — exactly the kind of moment where a long reliever with postseason experience changes the equation.
Urquidy is the first Mexican-born pitcher to appear in three World Series and was part of the Houston Astros’ 2022 championship. That résumé doesn’t show up on a stat sheet, but on a young Chicago team that hasn’t played October baseball since 2021, having him in the dugout carries real weight.
Manager Will Venable has leaned heavily on an opener-heavy rotation all season — so much so that the White Sox bullpen leads MLB in innings pitched. In that system, an arm that can eat 4 to 6 innings without imploding isn’t a luxury. It’s a requirement. Urquidy has understood the assignment.
The Numbers Behind the Role
- 2026 line: 1 start, 25.0 innings pitched
- ERA: 5.40 · WHIP: 1.52
- xERA: 3.01 — what his results should look like based on contact quality allowed
- Strikeouts / Walks: 20 K, 6 BB (17.5% strikeout rate)
- 1 save
- Fastball: 92.6 mph average, 2,261 rpm spin rate
- Whiff rate: 23% of swings against him miss
- Batting average against: .306
- Exit velocity allowed: 86.9 mph — soft contact
- Barrel rate allowed: 4.7%
The surface ERA tells one story. The Statcast numbers tell another — and in baseball, the deeper numbers are usually the ones that hold up.
