Detroit Tigers Activate Jose Urquidy After Lengthy Rehab Stint
In this story:
The Detroit Tigers are sitting pretty heading into the final push for the playoffs. Tied for the most wins in the American League with 84, they have the second-largest division lead at 8.5 games over the Cleveland Guardians.
After Thursday's loss, the magic number for Detroit stands at eight games. Once again, it hasn't been the most conventional way to get to the playoffs for the Tigers.
Aside from Cy Young favorite Tarik Skubal, Detroit only has two pitchers with more than 20 starts in Casey Mize and Jack Flaherty. Mize has been above league average, with his ERA of 3.83. But Flaherty has struggled overall with an 89 ERA+ despite good results against upper-echelon teams.
Chris Paddack was moved to the bullpen, Charlie Morton has a 6.09 ERA and both Reese Olsen and Jackson Jobe are hurt.
On Friday, Cody Stavenhagen of The Athletic reported that the Tigers will be getting reinforcements in the form of Jose Urquidy, who is returning from injury.
Urquidy To Pitch for First Time Since 2023
Jose Urquidy made his debut in 2019 for the Houston Astros and eventually became a reliable starter.
Over 48 games between 2021-2022, he accumulated 3.1 bWAR with a 3.81 ERA, 224 strikeouts and a 105 ERA+ in 271.1 innings. He was part of the Astros rotation that would go on to win the 2022 World Series and was third in innings pitched on the team that season.
The now 30-year-old had established himself as a middle-of-the-rotation starter in the league before going down with an injury in 2023. After suffering a shoulder injury in April, Urquidy returned that August to appear in ten games.
He then began the 2024 season on the injured list before being ruled out for the year after needing Tommy John surgery. Detroit signed Urquidy to a one-year deal with an option for 2026 in March as he worked his way back from his elbow injury.
The right-hander began his rehab on August 3, and between four starts at Single-A and six appearances at Triple-A, the veteran has looked good. He threw 19.2 innings to the tune of a 3.20 ERA with 16 strikeouts and just five walks.
Now, Detroit will call on him in the most important part of the season. He won't be integral to the division race, but he could be the most important Tigers pitcher come playoff time. Detroit needs more behind Skubal, and Urquidy has shown that he can be a reliable innings eater and even has playoff experience.
