10:51AM: Urena’s DFA and Abel’s call-up were both officially announced by the Twins.
7:09AM: The Twins designated right-hander Jose Urena for assignment yesterday, according to The Athletic’s Dan Hayes. Right-hander Mick Abel will be called up today in the corresponding move, and Abel will get the start in today’s game against the White Sox.
Urena was Thursday’s starter, and he was tagged for six earned runs over five innings in the Twins’ 8-3 loss to the Athletics. This boosted Urena’s ERA to 4.58 over 17 2/3 innings since Minnesota selected his contract on August 1, as one of many roster moves the Twins made the day after their major selloff at the trade deadline. Urena started three of his four appearances in a Twins uniform, and took a 2.13 ERA into Friday’s action, though neither his 12.8% strikeout rate or his 10.3% walk rate were anything impressive.
It was almost exactly two months ago that Urena signed a minor league contract with Minnesota, continuing a nomadic season that has seen the veteran log big league innings for four different teams. Urena has a 5.00 ERA over 36 combined innings with the Mets, Dodgers, Blue Jays, and Twins, with a 12.5% strikeout rate and 8.1BB%.
In all three of his previous stops, Urena was designated for assignment, outrighted off the 40-man roster, and he then elected free agency rather than accept that outright assignment to Triple-A. With more than eight full years of MLB service time, Urena has more than enough experience to allow him to turn down outright assignments in favor of return trips to the open market.
It seems probable that he’ll elect free agency again here in the likely event that he clears waivers, though Urena might prefer some stability after bouncing around the league in 2025, and his options are more limited given the lack of time remaining in the regular season. Another team in search of innings could also potentially just claim Urena off the waiver wire and insert him into their bullpen as a swingman, or into the rotation.
Abel made his Major League debut earlier this season in the form of six starts and 25 innings with the Phillies, posting a 5.04 ERA in his first taste of action against big league hitters. In perhaps the largest of Minnesota’s many deadline moves, Abel and Eduardo Tait were acquired from Philadelphia in exchange for Jhoan Duran, as the Twins opted to part ways with the closer in exchange for a top catching prospect in Tait and a big league-ready starter in Abel who is himself a former top-100 prospect.
Now in line to make his official Twins debut today, Abel has already shone in the minors, with a 1.76 ERA over three starts and 15 1/3 innings for Triple-A St. Paul. Minnesota president of baseball operations Derek Falvey told Hayes and other reporters earlier this month that the Twins wanted to deploy both Abel and fellow deadline pickup Taj Bradley at Triple-A to begin their tenure with the team, since “sometimes you need to get your legs under you in a new organization before you take that next step.” Bradley also figures to be called up relatively soon, with Hayes speculating that Bradley might also be promoted to start Sunday’s game in Chicago.
Wrong link to Urena.
There’s still time for Ureña to pitch for all 30 teams.
He just needs to play for 20 more teams.
This guy gets around like horse manure.
You mean a fly on a manure farm 😀
How does he catch on? He is not even left handed.
Ureña wasn’t all that bad for Minnesota. But of course, Abel’s numbers scream for a call-up.
Gruß,
BSHH
baseball-reference.com/players/u/urenajo01.shtml
Wild that they won’t try to use Urena’s 100mph fastball out of the pen
They did. 3 starts, one relief appearance. Read the article.
raregokus
“They did. 3 starts, one relief appearance. Read the article.”
In his ONE “relief appearance” he pitched on 4 days rest, threw 76 pitches, faced 19 hitters and recorded 17 outs – his longest outing of the season. Sounds like a start to me, just following an opener.
Maybe, just maybe, FDN was
referring to using him more as a short reliever and more than once.
Yes, he’s obviously toast as a starter. If he wants to extend his career, it’s throwing triple digits in a single inning role.
He pitched Thursday, not Friday
Urena’s going to be pissed!
Ureña Town
Still time to add a fifth or even 6th team to this seasons ledger
Jays could use him they just kicked a guy out of the rotation who had a sub 3 ERA but kept all the 4.5 ERA guys in their rotation. Maybe they can use him
The guy they just kicked of the rotation only pitched 110 innings last year. He’s up to 112 this year and there’s still more than a month to go plus the post-season.
Also if one of the other starters gets lit up early he’s the best option for long relief as all the other starters are right-handed meaning he should face a higher percentage of lefties.
I don’t know who the 4.45 ERA starters are. Bassitt has the higest ERA at 4.18 but he’s put up the second highest pitching fWAR on the team so he’s not getting benched. Berrios is next at an even 4.00 and he’s never missed a start. No chance they’re benching him. That leaves you with sitting either Gausman, Scherzer, or Bieber, which, no.
Braves could pick him up. Not to pitch…just to hang out with Acuna.
Four teams already, he’s definitely adding a fifth. I say Braves pick him up for a few innings of work.
Famed scout, Roy Clark, passed away overnight. Hope the site gives a shout-out in a presumed slow news day. He’s responsible for drafting/signing Wainwright, Morton, Heyward, Freeman, Francoeur, Kimbrel, etc. — and his remarks about an undersized LHP helped other teams take notice and draft him, then go on to a HoF career: Billy Wagner. RIP
Arena has been designated a safe space. For hurricanes, typhoons, beat poetry, and interpretive dance
People like velocity.He will keep getting chances.
My thought is if you come up through the draft.Get yourself to throw at least 96-99.You will get tons of chances.You don’t have to have control.They just want you to throw hard.
Regardless of how hard Urena throws, or how high his spin rate is, the bottom line is he is extremely hittable.
Good hitting should eventually catch up to a hard thrower.A good pitcher is better than a hard thrower but everybody is enamored with velocity.
My point is management,coaches and fans are impressed with velocity and swing and miss.I prefer a great pitcher.Maybe throws 94 and fools you at the plate.Maddux was my favorite.BUT those mentioned like velocity so Hicks,Urena and guys like that keep getting chances because of lighting up a radar gun.Yawn.
Hope the Braves pick him up, let him get shelled and DFA him immediately