The Philadelphia Phillies claimed right-handed pitcher José Urquidy off waivers from the Chicago White Sox on September 17, 2026. Urquidy is slated to pitch against the New York Mets, filling a rotation vacancy created when All-Star Jesús Luzardo landed on the injured list with left shoulder inflammation.
Philadelphia manager Don Mattingly expects Urquidy to start or follow an opener in a bulk role during the road series against the New York Mets. The 31-year-old right-hander was designated for assignment by the White Sox earlier in the week, bringing a veteran arm into a pitching staff navigating a sudden late-season injury.
Rotation Shuffle After Jesús Luzardo Lands on Injured List
The Phillies required immediate rotation depth after Luzardo was sidelined with left shoulder inflammation. Luzardo has anchored the staff during his first All-Star campaign, posting 14 wins, a 2.87 ERA, and 221 strikeouts to rank among the National League’s top ten pitchers. Mattingly acknowledged the disruption to the pitching schedule ahead of the series opener.
Photo: foxsports.com
“Obviously, missing Zus’ start, it puts you in a bullpen game in some fashion,” Mattingly said before Thursday’s series opener. “And bullpen game, like one at a time, is a little different than having a bulk guy in there that can throw 70, 75 pitches.”
From Instagram — related to phillies jose urquidy waivers, José Urquidy Phillies
Don Mattingly, Phillies manager
To clear a 40-man roster spot for Urquidy, Philadelphia transferred right-handed pitcher Caleb Kilian to the 60-day injured list, according to the announcement made by Phillies President of Baseball Operations Dave Dombrowski. Kilian, 29, has been sidelined since August 10 with a left oblique strain. He made four relief appearances for the Phillies after being acquired with Luis Arraez from the San Francisco Giants on Aug. 3. Overall, Kilian has pitched in 49 games this season and gone 4-7 with a 4.91 ERA (26 ER, 47.2 IP) while converting eight of his 11 save opportunities. A native of Anaheim, Calif., Kilian was originally selected by the Giants in the eighth round of the 2019 MLB Draft.
FanGraphs Playoff Odds give Philadelphia a 98.0% chance of qualifying for the postseason. Their magic number to clinch a postseason spot is now 6. Following their claim of right-hander Jose Urquidy, Todd Zolecki of MLB.com reports that Urquidy will start Game 2 against the Mets. Andrew Painter will start Game 3 of the series on Saturday. Per Matt Gelb of The Athletic, manager Don Mattingly says Urquidy will arrive prior to tomorrow’s game and will factor into that contest as part of a bullpen game. Painter will not get moved up due to the off-day on Monday, plus it also gives the Phillies the most roster flexibility for their final series of the regular season. That sets the rotation for the Mets series, although there will be six more games after that. Urquidy’s rotation spot will come up again during their next series against the Brewers. In the final 10 games of the season, the Phillies will try to line up their rotation not only to secure a Wild Card spot, but also to set them up for the Wild Card Series.
Urquidy brings seven seasons of major league experience to Philadelphia, having pitched for the Houston Astros from 2019 to 2023, the Detroit Tigers in 2025, the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2026, and the White Sox in 2026. He has combined to go 29-18 with a 4.08 ERA (198 ER, 436.1 IP) in 92 career major league games (71 starts). A native of Mazatlan, Mexico, Urquidy pitched 3.0 scoreless innings in Game 3 of the 2022 World Series at Citizens Bank Park, a 7-0 Phillies win.
Photo: Yahoo Sports
From 2019 to 2022, he gave the Astros 342 innings over 63 appearances, 60 of those being official starts. In that span, he had a 3.74 earned run average, 20.3% strikeout rate and 5.2% walk rate. He scuffled a bit in 2023 and then Tommy John surgery wiped out most of his 2024 and 2025 seasons. This year, he has mostly been in the minors. He has thrown 95 2/3 innings over 20 Triple-A starts with a 3.48 ERA, 20.8% strikeout rate and 5.3% walk rate. That performance led to some big league time with the Pirates and White Sox, though he hasn’t fared quite as well in the show, with a 5.28 ERA in 29 innings over 11 appearances. His 5.3% walk rate in that sample was quite strong but Urquidy only struck out 16% of batters faced. He is 2-2 with a 5.28 ERA and one save this year in one start and 10 relief appearances for the White Sox and Pittsburgh. He made one start on Aug. 24 against the Texas Rangers, however his last three appearances have all come in relief. On Aug. 30 against the Twins in Minnesota, he allowed one run over 5.0 innings. On Sept. 3 in Houston against the Astros, he tossed 1.0 scoreless inning. On Sept. 8 against the Pirates, he allowed two runs over 4.0 innings while throwing 45 pitches. Combined, he has a 2.70 ERA over his last three appearances (3 ER, 10.0 IP).
Daniel Richardson is the Editor-in-Chief of Archysport, where he leads the editorial team and oversees all published content across nine sport verticals. With over 15 years in sports journalism, Daniel has reported from the FIFA World Cup, the Olympic Games, NFL Super Bowls, NBA Finals, and Grand Slam tennis tournaments. He previously served as Senior Sports Editor at Reuters and holds a Master's degree in Journalism from Columbia University. Recognized by the Sports Journalists' Association for excellence in reporting, Daniel is a member of the International Sports Press Association (AIPS). His editorial philosophy centers on accuracy, depth, and fair coverage — ensuring every story published on Archysport meets the highest standards of sports journalism.
