Having opened up a 2.5-game lead over the Cleveland Guardians in the AL Central, the Chicago White Sox are adding reinforcements to their pitching staff for the stretch run.
Per Robert Murray of FanSided, the White Sox are acquiring José Urquidy from the Pittsburgh Pirates.
MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand added that Pittsburgh will receive right-handed pitching prospect Felix Doroteo back in the deal.
The White Sox are betting on Urquidy being effective after spending most of this season in the minors. He hasn’t appeared in an MLB game since April 13 when he allowed four runs on six hits in one inning of relief against the Washington Nationals.
Urquidy was designated for assignment by the Pirates on Friday to open up a spot on their 40-man roster for catcher Shawn Ross. The move gave them seven days to find a trade partner or place him on unconditional release waivers.
Chicago needed some pitching help as it chases a playoff spot for the first time since 2021. The White Sox rank 11th in MLB with a 4.12 ERA, but the rotation is top-heavy with Sean Burke, Davis Martin and Anthony Kay doing the bulk of the work.
Erick Fedde and Noah Schultz have been the two other primary starters in the rotation, though Fedde has been bouncing between being a starter and pitching in long relief.
Urquidy is another pitcher accustomed to being used in the rotation or out of the bullpen. He had an 8.53 ERA in 6.1 innings in the big leagues this season before being sent down to Triple-A on April 17.
In 17 starts at Triple-A, Urquidy has fared much better with a 3.66 ERA in 83.2 innings.
The Pirates did well to get anything for Urquidy given how he performed this season. Doroteo, 21, signed with the White Sox as an international free agent in January 2025. He has a 4.50 ERA in 16 appearances with the White Sox Arizona Complex League team.
