Jose Urquidy’s latest outing has given the White Sox a timely reason to look again at a pitcher whose recent career has been shaped by injury. After striking out nine Cubs hitters in six scoreless frames at Wrigley Field last Wednesday, the 31-year-old is expected to start for the Sox on Monday.
That is a notable step for a right-hander who last made a major league start in 2023 and missed much of the previous two seasons while rehabbing from his second Tommy John surgery. Three years ago, Urquidy was pitching in the ALCS; now he is trying to re-establish himself in a rotation mix that has been searching for stability.
Why Urquidy is back in the conversation
The White Sox acquired Urquidy in a small minors swap last month, and his recent work suggests there may still be a path back to meaningful innings. The club view him as a pitcher who has to survive with timing, pitch mix and pace rather than power, and that was evident against the Cubs.
Urquidy himself has been clear about the modern game he is trying to navigate. “Hitters are more powerful, pitchers too; throwing a lot of pitches 100 mph,” he said. “I’m just trying to be athletic, with energy, spinning the ball well. That’s something I have to do to survive here.”
At a time when velocity can dominate the conversation, Urquidy’s effort is more about control of tempo and feel. He added: “If I see I got 14 seconds on me, or 10, or more than that, I have 10 seconds to do whatever I want. I will take my time. I will breathe more. I will check a grip here. I will think what I’m gonna do next.”
What the White Sox are seeing
The performance in Chicago was not built on raw speed. Urquidy was working around 93 mph, but he paired that with a mid-70s curveball and enough rhythm to keep Cubs hitters off balance for six scoreless innings. For a pitcher coming off a second Tommy John surgery, that kind of outing matters.
Brian Bannister said Urquidy had made changes that initially helped, but also removed some of the qualities that made him effective earlier in his career. “He made some compensations that felt good to him, but I think took away some of the kind of magic elements he had in his delivery, and the variance in his movement, and a lot of the things that allowed him to have that All-Star season last year,” Bannister said. “We were starting to get back to that, and then he was dealing with the shoulder stuff.”
That is the larger picture here. Urquidy is not being asked to overpower anyone. He is being asked to hold together enough of his old shape to give the White Sox a chance to believe he can still help.
More moving parts for the White Sox
Urquidy’s possible return comes at a time when the Sox are still managing other health and workload issues. Shane Smith returned from a rotation cuff strain last month, but on Sunday he issued five free passes. His Triple-A struggles have been linked in part to a career-high 146 1/3 innings last year and offseason delivery changes.
There is also a cautious approach around Kyle Teel, who will begin a Triple-A rehab assignment on Tuesday. Walker McKinven said, “We’ll ease him back, understanding how his season has gone from an injury standpoint,” before adding, “But Kyle’s important. Kyle’s going to play.”
For now, the most immediate question is what Urquidy can provide on Monday. If last Wednesday was a sign that the feel is returning, then the White Sox may have found a useful arm to keep in the mix. If not, it still serves as a reminder of how much patience this stage of his career will require.
