The Phillies added a needed arm and made the matching roster move Wednesday, optioning left-handed pitcher Kyle Backhus to Triple-A Lehigh Valley after claiming José Urquidy off waivers from the Chicago White Sox.
Philadelphia was looking for pitching help after Jesús Luzardo went on the injured list with stiffness in his left throwing shoulder. With limited depth in the minor league system, Dave Dombrowski went outside the organization to bring in Urquidy, who had been designated for assignment by Chicago just a few days earlier.
Urquidy is not eligible to pitch for the Phillies in the playoffs, but he should matter plenty in the final stretch. Philadelphia’s Magic Number is five, and the club could be forced into multiple bullpen games as it tries to get to the finish line. A fresh right-handed arm capable of covering multiple innings gives the Phillies some flexibility on the days Luzardo would have started.
He has not pitched for the White Sox since Sept. 8, which should leave him ready to take on whatever role Philadelphia asks of him. When the claim was first reported, it was said he would join the team today and be available to pitch, and that still appears to be the case. The Phillies have not yet named a starter for tonight’s game against the New York Mets, while Andrew Painter remains on track to pitch tomorrow in Game 3.
The Phillies also announced that Urquidy reported to the club today after being claimed yesterday and will wear No. 70.
Urquidy’s recent work in Chicago was a clear step forward. In six appearances after being acquired in a trade from the Pittsburgh Pirates, he posted a 4.37 ERA over 22.2 innings with a 0.3 bWAR. That was a major improvement from his time with Pittsburgh, where he logged an 8.53 ERA in 6.1 innings and finished with a -0.6 bWAR.
If Urquidy can give Philadelphia innings anywhere near the level he showed with the White Sox, interim manager Don Mattingly will take it. The Phillies are still trying to lock up a playoff spot, but they also need to avoid running their bullpen into the ground over the last nine games. That’s the balancing act now.
One other name to watch: Nestor Cortes, who signed a Major League deal with the organization a few weeks ago.
In Other News...
Scary Mets Injury In Phillies Game Left One Immediate Question
A routine late-season meeting between the Phillies and Mets took a jarring turn when New York first baseman Jared Young collided with pitcher Nolan McLean and went down with a head injury. The scene was serious enough to stop the games flow entirely, with Young lying motionless on the field before medical personnel worked to stabilize him and get him to a hospital.
Andy Green later offered the first encouraging update, saying Youngs CT scan came back negative and that he had full use of his extremities. Even with those signs pointing in the right direction, the immediate concern around the Mets was obvious: after a collision like that, the first question is no longer about the scoreboard, but about how quickly and safely a player can recover. [Read more 🡒]
Phillies Suddenly Have A New Rotation Puzzle After Luzardo Injury
With Jess Luzardo landing on the injured list, the Phillies had to start reshaping their pitching plans almost immediately, and the first move came with a familiar kind of depth add. Philadelphia claimed right-hander Jos Urquidy off waivers from the Chicago White Sox and cleared a 40-man spot by transferring Caleb Kilian to the 60-day injured list, giving the club another arm to sort through as it tries to steady the rotation picture.
Don Mattingly said Urquidy should arrive before the next game, and the early indication is that he could be used out of the bullpen rather than dropped straight into the starting mix. Andrew Painter is lined up to start on Saturday, which only adds to the moving pieces as the Phillies continue adjusting on the fly and trying to cover innings without overextending the staff. [Read more 🡒]
Phillies-Mets Suddenly Carries Big Wild Card Stakes For Friday Night
The Phillies Friday night matchup with the Mets has taken on a bigger edge than the usual late-September division meeting. Philadelphia enters at 85-68, sitting second in the NL East and tied for the top NL wild-card spot, which gives this game a little extra weight even before the first pitch at 7:15 p.m. The stakes are obvious enough: every result now has a way of nudging the playoff picture one direction or the other.
For fans trying to keep tabs on it, the game will be on Apple TV+, with radio coverage on 94WIP and WDEL 101.7 FM/1150 AM. And because the Phillies are still in that crowded middle ground of chasing the division while protecting their postseason position, a single night against the Mets could end up feeling less like another date on the calendar and more like one of the defining checkpoints of the stretch run. [Read more 🡒]