Jose Urquidy looked like a dead end when the Pirates sent him to the minors after that brutal start to the 2026 season. His five outings out of the bullpen were a mess, and the 8.53 ERA made it easy to write him off as another cheap Ben Cherington relief gamble that blew up fast.
But Urquidy has found a very different lane in Indianapolis.
The right-hander has quietly turned himself into a useful starter for the Indians, and June was his best month yet. He went 3-0 with a 3.12 ERA, a 0.92 WHIP and a .207 opponent average across five starts, enough to earn Indians June Player of the Month honors.
That kind of run has changed the conversation around him. He’s no longer just a forgotten depth arm; he’s become a possible trade chip, and maybe even a name worth revisiting in Pittsburgh.
That’s where things get tricky for the Pirates.
Urquidy is not helping the big-league bullpen, and the Pirates already have enough issues there. At the same time, bringing him back up could wreck the value he’s building in Triple-A if the same problems show up again.
And while Pittsburgh’s rotation has been uneven lately, Urquidy doesn’t profile as an upgrade over anyone already in that mix. The one place he’s actually thriving is the one place the Pirates can’t seem to use him.
For now, the safer play for Cherington may be to leave him where he is and let the numbers keep working in his favor from a distance. Urquidy hasn’t been a productive major-league starter since 2022, and he hasn’t solved anything in relief since then either. That makes him less of a fix for Pittsburgh and more of an asset, which matters a lot this time of year.
And the deadline picture around the Pirates is messy enough already.
Cherington is staring at a team that has its best shot at the playoffs since he arrived, but the roster is also dealing with major absences. Konnor Griffin is out until at least September, while Oneil Cruz and Spencer Horwitz are still on the injured list. Those are the kinds of realities that have to be weighed before making a push for a bullpen arm such as Aroldis Chapman.
The most realistic path may be a little of both: add some lower-risk, high-upside relief help while also listening on expiring pieces. Urquidy fits that second category. He signed a one-year deal with Pittsburgh this winter, and so far it hasn’t worked out at the major-league level.
That’s the tension for Cherington. He can try to patch the roster and sell at the same time, and Urquidy gives him a movable arm if another club wants to bet on the Triple-A version instead of the bullpen version. Around the deadline, pitchers carry weight, and right now Urquidy has at least made himself interesting again.
In Other News...
Pirates Get A Bullpen Arm Back At A Critical Time
The Pirates got a bullpen arm back at a useful moment Friday, activating right-hander Wilber Dotel off the 15-day injured list and putting him on the 26-man roster ahead of their doubleheader against the Guardians. Dotel had been working his way back through a rehab assignment, and the club is counting on him to give the relief corps another option as it navigates a long day against Cleveland.
Dotel is expected to be available for the second game, which gives Pittsburgh a chance to ease him back in rather than asking for immediate heavy lifting. The timing matters because he had opened the season in strong form before the injury, and the Pirates could use even a partial return to that version of him as they try to stabilize the middle innings. [Read more 🡒]
Pirates Turn To An Unexpected Arm As Bigger Doubleheader Questions Loom
With a doubleheader against the Guardians on July 18 forcing some short-term roster juggling, the Pirates turned to right-hander Khristian Curtis as their 27th man for the day. Curtis was added to handle the first game, giving Pittsburgh an extra arm for a spot start in the schedule before the club sends him back to Triple-A Indianapolis.
The move fits the kind of one-day roster math that often comes with a twin bill, especially for a pitching staff that needs to keep one eye on the next game as much as the current one. Wilber Dotel is set to come off the injured list afterward, and the Pirates also moved center fielder Oneil Cruz to the 60-day injured list to clear the way for Curtis to join the 40-man roster. [Read more 🡒]
Brewers Pitcher Just Changed How Rivals Have To View The Pirates
The Pirates have spent enough time being treated like the NL Centrals long-shot project, but that perception has started to change around the division. After Pittsburgh swept the Brewers right before the All-Star break, Milwaukee pitcher Jacob Misiorowski was among the voices acknowledging that the Pirates belong in the same conversation with the Cubs and Cardinals as the race tightens.
Pittsburgh still has ground to make up in the standings, but the bigger shift is how opponents are talking about them now. They are no longer being framed only as a rebuilding club, and with a Wild Card chase still within reach, rivals have to account for them as a legitimate threat rather than a team just trying to hang around. [Read more 🡒]