Blue Jays' Jose Urena: Limited usage in second start
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Urena allowed one run on two hits and a walk while failing to record a strikeout over two-plus innings in a no-decision versus the Mariners on Sunday.
Urena was making his second start with the Blue Jays after giving up two runs over 4.1 innings to the Angels on Tuesday. He made it just once through the Mariners' lineup Sunday, which looks like it may have been planned -- he threw 31 pitches (19 strikes) in this outing compared to 74 pitches Tuesday. The Blue Jays have yet to reveal their pitching plans for the week ahead, but it's possible Urena could be shifting into an opener or piggyback role rather than functioning as a traditional starter.
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Blue Jays' Jose Urena: Confirmed for another start
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Urena will start Sunday against the Mariners, Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet.ca reports.
Urena signed with the Blue Jays on Saturday and made a start for the team a few days later. He'll stick in the rotation for now and could realistically be relied upon until Max Scherzer (thumb) can return from the IL. Urena has allowed seven earned runs across 7.1 innings and two appearances this season.
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Blue Jays' Jose Urena: Goes 4.1 innings in first start
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Urena allowed two runs on four hits and a walk while striking out two over 4.1 innings in a no-decision versus the Angels on Tuesday.
Urena did fine, throwing 52 of 74 pitches for strikes in his Blue Jays debut. The right-hander has starting experience but has rarely been able to maintain a full-time gig in any team's rotation. He's allowed seven runs with a 5:2 K:BB over 7.1 innings between the Mets and the Blue Jays this season. Should Urena stick in the rotation for another start, he is tentatively scheduled for a road outing in Seattle this weekend.
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Blue Jays' Jose Urena: Drawing start for Blue Jays
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Urena will be the Blue Jays' starting pitcher in Tuesday's game against the Angels, Keegan Matheson of MLB.com reports.
Urena was officially signed to a major-league contract Monday and will go directly into the Blue Jays' rotation, at least for one turn. The right-hander was roughed up for five runs over three innings in a long-relief appearance for the Mets last month but had a solid 2024 season with the Rangers as a swingman, collecting a 3.80 ERA and 70:39 K:BB over 109 frames.
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Blue Jays' Jose Urena: Nets MLB deal from Toronto
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Urena signed a major-league contract with the Blue Jays on Saturday, Jon Heyman of the New York Post reports.
Urena elected to become a free agent Thursday after being DFA'd by the Mets, and it didn't take long for him to find a new home north of the border. The 33-year-old righty owns a 4.10 ERA and 1.36 WHIP in 112 innings since the start of the 2024 season and has worked primarily as a reliever during that span. He'll eventually be joined on the Blue Jays' pitching staff by Spencer Turnbull, who also signed a big-league deal with the team Saturday.
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Jose Urena: Enters open market
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Urena cleared waivers Thursday and elected to become a free agent, Anthony DiComo of MLB.com reports.
Urena was designated for assignment after giving up five runs during his three-inning save against the Nationals on Monday. He'll now seek out another opportunity in free agency rather than returning to Triple-A Syracuse, though he isn't likely to attract more than a minor-league contract after turning in a 4.77 ERA and 1.43 WHIP in the majors since 2023.
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Mets' Jose Urena: DFA'd by New York
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Urena was designated for assignment by the Mets on Tuesday, Tim Healey of Newsday reports.
The Mets removed Urena from the 40-man roster in order to recall Kevin Herget from Triple-A Syracuse. Urena tossed three innings of relief Monday against the Nationals and allowed seven hits, including a pair of homers, and five earned runs in the Mets' 19-5 win. Despite the rough outing, Urena was credited with the save.
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Mets' Jose Urena: Notches three-inning save
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Urena picked up a three-inning save in Monday's 19-5 victory over the Nationals, allowing five runs on seven hits and a walk. He struck out three.
The veteran journeyman collected his sixth career save in this blowout win, firing 68 total pitches to absorb innings for the rest of the bullpen. Urena was added to the Mets' roster Sunday as A.J. Minter (lat) was placed on the injured list. The 33-year-old Urena is set to sop up more innings for New York while he is on the team, as he now sports a career 4.80 ERA.
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Mets' Jose Urena: Returning to majors
Rotowire
The Mets selected Urena's contract from Triple-A Syracuse on Sunday.
Urena will take the spot on the 26-man roster vacated by A.J. Minter (lat), who was placed on the 15-day injured list. Urena, who signed a minor-league deal in February, will give the Mets a long-relief option out of the bullpen who can also start in a pinch. Urena appeared in 33 regular-season games (nine starts) for the Rangers in 2024, posting a 3.80 ERA, 1.32 WHIP and 70:39 K:BB across 109 innings.
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Mets' Jose Urena: Lands minor-league deal
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Urena agreed Thursday with the Mets on a minor-league contract that includes an invitation to spring training, Tim Healey of Newsday reports.
Urena will give the Mets a swingman option after their rotation depth took a hit with recent injuries to Frankie Montas (lat) and Sean Manaea (oblique). The 33-year-old made nine starts and 24 relief appearances with the Rangers last season, collecting a 3.80 ERA, 1.32 WHIP and 70:39 K:BB across 109 innings.
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Rangers' Jose Urena: Hits IL with shoulder issue
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The Rangers placed Urena on the 15-day injured list Sunday with right shoulder fatigue.
Urena will be eligible for activation Sept. 29, but since the Rangers will wrap up their regular season that day, he'll most likely be shelved for the remainder of 2024. The right-hander served as an occasional rotation fill-in and long-relief option this season, making 33 appearances (nine starts) and providing a 3.80 ERA, 1.32 WHIP and 70:39 K:BB across 109 innings. Urena is scheduled to become a free agent this winter.
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Rangers' Jose Urena: Yields three runs as bulk reliever
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Urena did not factor into the decision Friday, allowing three runs (two earned) on three hits and two walks over 5.2 innings against the Angels. He struck out three.
The veteran right-hander served as the bulk reliever, firing 75 pitches and finishing the game after Gerson Garabito and Walter Pennington began the contest with 3.1 combined innings. All three runs Urena allowed came via a homer by Logan O'Hoppe in the sixth inning. The 32-year-old has been a versatile arm for manager Bruce Bochy, plugging holes created by numerous rotation injuries this season. Urena's made 32 appearances -- including nine starts -- while pitching to a 3.69 ERA, 1.32 WHIP and 68:38 K:BB across 107.1 innings.
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Rangers' Jose Urena: Works in bulk relief Sunday
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Urena gave up one run on eight hits and one walk while striking out two across 4.2 innings of relief in Sunday's 6-4 extra-inning win over the Athletics.
For the sixth appearance in a row, Urena covered at least four innings, with each of the latter three outings coming out of the bullpen. With Walter Pennington serving as the Rangers' opening pitcher and recording the first five outs, Urena came on to spell him as a bulk reliever. Urena was on track for a win after departing with a 2-1 lead following the sixth inning, but the Athletics rallied for the tying run in the top of the eighth to deny him the victory.
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Rangers' Jose Urena: Returns to bullpen, grabs win
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Urena (4-8) scooped up a win while working in long relief in Monday's 4-3 victory over the Pirates covering four scoreless innings and striking out three batters. He scattered two hits and two walks.
After starting in his last three appearances and taking losses each time out, Urena was moved to the bullpen Monday with the Rangers opting to keep Cody Bradford and Dane Dunning in place as back-end starters in the rotation. Dunning opened Monday's game and gave up three runs over four innings prior to getting piggybacked by Urena, who was able to maintain the Rangers' one-run lead for the next four innings before handing the ball off to closer Kirby Yates in the bottom of the ninth. Though Urena could have a chance at poaching more wins if the Rangers continue to deploy him in tandem with Dunning in the latter's future starts, manager Bruce Bochy is likely to be more flexible with his usage of Urena, making it difficult to stream him with much reliability.
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Rangers' Jose Urena: Bounced by BoSox
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Urena (3-8) took the loss Tuesday as the Rangers were downed 9-4 by the Red Sox, coughing up six runs on seven hits and two walks over 4.2 innings. He struck out three.
The 32-year-old right-hander held Boston to one run through the first four innings but fell apart in the fifth, getting chased from the game after serving up a three-run homer to Connor Wong. Urena's return to the rotation in August has been a disaster, and he's been saddled with a 10.66 ERA, 2.05 WHIP and 5:5 K:BB through 12.2 innings over three starts. With Max Scherzer (shoulder), Jon Gray (groin) and Jacob deGrom (elbow) all lacking clear timelines to rejoin the rotation, the Rangers might be stuck with Urena in the role, although Dane Dunning could be stretched out enough to be an option.
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Rangers' Jose Urena: Zero strikeouts in defeat
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Urena (3-7) took the loss Wednesday against the Astros, allowing two earned runs on six hits and three walks in four innings. He did not record a strikeout.
Urena was fortunate to escape with only two earned runs allowed as he put multiple baserunners on in each of the first three frames. He stranded seven runners with the help of two double plays. The 32-year-old failed to record a strikeout Wednesday and has now registered a paltry four punchouts over his last three appearances (12.1 innings). During that span, the right-hander owns an ugly 7.30 ERA, 2.64 WHIP and 4:3 K:BB. With Max Scherzer (fatigue) out until at least Aug. 15, Urena could make another start for the short-handed Rangers. If he does stick around in the rotation, Urena will likely face off against the Red Sox early next week.
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Rangers' Jose Urena: Slated for another start
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Urena is scheduled to start Wednesday's game against the Astros at Globe Life Field.
He'll be making his second straight turn through the rotation, despite being tagged for seven earned runs in four innings in a loss to the Red Sox his last time out Friday. Texas will have a spot in the rotation available for as long as both Jon Gray (groin) and Max Scherzer (shoulder) are on the shelf, but another poor showing Wednesday could nonetheless put Urena at risk of being moved to the bullpen, if not cast off the roster. Long relievers Cody Bradford and Dane Dunning loom as alternatives for the No. 5 spot if Urena can't get the job done.
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Rangers' Jose Urena: Roughed up in loss
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Urena (3-6) took the loss Friday against the Red Sox, allowing seven runs on eight hits and no walks over four innings. He struck out two.
The veteran right-hander made his first start since June 5, firing 69 total pitches in this outing. Despite entering with an impressive 2.84 ERA over 31.2 innings across six starts this season, Urena was knocked around by the Red Sox, yielding three extra-base hits en route to a season-worst seven runs. With Max Scherzer (shoulder) hitting the injured list Friday, Urena likely sticks in the Texas rotation for the time being. He lines up to face the Yankees on the road in his next start.
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Rangers' Jose Urena: Works as long reliever Friday
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Urena allowed two hits and a walk while striking out two over 3.1 scoreless innings of relief in Friday's 3-2 loss to the Mariners.
Starter Andrew Heaney struggled over 4.2 innings, but Urena's strong performance spared the Rangers' bullpen. Prior to Friday, Urena had worked as a starter, covering 31.2 innings with a 2.84 ERA, 1.14 WHIP and 21:8 K:BB over his previous six appearances. Urena's at a 3.23 ERA, 1.19 WHIP and 39:18 K:BB through 55.2 innings overall. The Rangers have a short-term dilemma on their hands, as Urena has been at least as good as Heaney, though both pitchers could be out of the rotation once Max Scherzer (back/arm) is able to return.
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Rangers' Jose Urena: Cruises to win Wednesday
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Urena (2-5) earned the win over Detroit on Wednesday, allowing one run on one hit and one walk while striking out six batters over 6.2 innings.
Urena got through five perfect frames until Tigers rookie Justyn-Henry Malloy tagged him for his first MLB homer leading off the sixth inning. Urena rebounded by retiring the next five batters before getting pulled following a two-out walk in the seventh. The veteran righty's 6.2 frames tied a season-high mark and were enough to give him his third quality start over his past five appearances. Despite Urena's strong outing, he may be pushed out of the rotation this weekend if Jon Gray (groin) is ready to return from the injured list.
