The Philadelphia Phillies designated right-hander José Urquidy for assignment on Sunday, a short-term roster move that closed a 10-day cameo for a pitcher once central to a World Series champion, via the MLB transaction log.
Urquidy’s exit made room for Jesús Luzardo, who was reinstated from the 15-day injured list before Sunday’s series finale against the Tampa Bay Rays.
Luzardo had been sidelined with left shoulder inflammation after a strong year as a rotation mainstay. With the regular season on its last day, Philadelphia needed its established left-hander available more than it needed a September waiver pickup who could not pitch in October.
Luzardo then pitched one inning of scoreless relief in the Phillies’ playoff-clinching win over the Rays.
The Phillies claimed Urquidy off waivers from the Chicago White Sox on Sept. 17, after Chicago had designated him two days earlier. The timing mattered.
Because the claim came after Sept. 1, Urquidy was ineligible for the postseason roster. He was, in other words, a bridge: an experienced arm to eat innings while Luzardo recovered and the rotation stretched to cover the final stretch.
He did some of that work. In his first outing with Philadelphia, Urquidy threw 4 2/3 scoreless innings against the New York Mets on Sept. 18, striking out six and helping spare a taxed bullpen.
On Saturday against Tampa Bay, he was less sharp, allowing three earned runs in 2 2/3 innings. Those two appearances were the whole of his Phillies tenure.
The 31-year-old Mexican right-hander from Mazatlán is best remembered for his years in Houston. Urquidy debuted with the Astros in 2019 and was part of the club that won the 2022 World Series.
From 2019 through 2022 he was a reliable starter, logging heavy innings with a mid-3.00s ERA over that stretch. Shoulder trouble in 2023 and Tommy John surgery in 2024 interrupted that trajectory.
He made a brief return with the Detroit Tigers in 2025, then bounced in 2026 from the Pittsburgh Pirates to the White Sox to Philadelphia, working mostly as a long reliever and occasional starter.
The Phillies have a week to trade him, release him, or place him on waivers.
Another club could still want a veteran who can start or cover multiple innings for the future, even if his peak years are behind him.
For Philadelphia, the calculus was simpler: Luzardo is back, the regular season is over after Sunday, and a World Series winner who arrived too late for October no longer fit the 28-man roster.
