<p>The Toronto Blue Jays took the initiative to add reinforcements to their pitching corps, as they added two names to the roster this past weekend. Along with<a href="https://bluejaysnation.com/news/spencer-turnbull-is-more-than-just-a-depth-signing-for-the-toronto-blue-jays"> Spencer Turnbull</a>, the Blue Jays have also agreed to terms with veteran right-hander José Ureña, who joins the Blue Jays after a quick stint with the New York Mets, spending most of the 2025 season in triple-A.</p>
<p></p>
<p>While the bullpen is struggling and employs a few questionable options outside of the go-to leverage names, Ureña will bring some experience to the group and can even start games when needed, such as tonight in Los Angeles, where he gets the ball.</p>
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<p>Through his 11 years in the big leagues, Ureña has split his time between seven different organizations before Toronto, a majority of which came with the Miami Marlins from 2015 through 2020. The right-hander has floated between the rotation and bullpen over the years, appearing in 233 games, 152 of which were starts.</p>
<p>Ureña saw a single appearance with the New York Mets in 2025 after posting a 2.89 ERA through three starts in triple-A for the Mets, pitching three innings of relief and picking up the save, despite the ugly stat line. Ureña allowed five earned runs on seven hits and two home runs to the Washington Nationals, entering the game in the seventh inning and needing 68 pitches to get through the outing. He currently holds a 15.00 ERA.</p>
<h2><strong>Ureña offers multiple roles for Schneider and the Blue Jays</strong></h2>
<p>The reliever’s three innings of work are nothing but a one-game slip-up, and shouldn&#8217;t be too big of an issue when you look at the bigger picture. He currently holds a 2.67 WHIP, 23.1% hard-hit percentage, 15.4% barrel rate, and a 76.9% AIR percentage through the limited work.</p>
<p>2024 was a better year to dissect for Ureña, where he finished the season with a 5-8 record, 33 appearences, nine games started, and eight games finished for the Texas Rangers. The Dominican reliever threw 109 innings, striking out 70 hitters and walking 39. Ureña allowed 46 runs on 105 hits to the tune of a 3.80 ERA and a 4.62 FIP.</p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="550" data-dnt="true">
<p lang="en" dir="ltr">José Ureña now officially tonight’s starter, the <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/BlueJays?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#BlueJays</a> say.</p>
<p>&mdash; Keegan Matheson (@KeeganMatheson) <a href="https://twitter.com/KeeganMatheson/status/1919758416278409451?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 6, 2025</a></p></blockquote>
<p><script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p>
<p>The right-hander will offer approximately 40-70 innings per year if he stays in the bullpen, with an average of three innings per game in a long-relief type opportunity. His offerings will prosper in a short or long relief role, providing good relief innings, but as we have seen, the Jays seem interested in giving him a chance to start as well. This is likely temporary, barring some exceptional performances from the veteran out of the rotation, as he is bridging the gap for Max Scherzer to return and/or Spencer Turnbull to get up to speed, although he also could be an option in the bullpen.</p>
<p>He has a four-pitch repertoire: sinker, slider, changeup, and four-seam fastball. His fastball has up to a 97-98 mph max velocity, and was the lowest used of the four pitches during his Mets outing, sitting at 10.3% usage compared to the sinker and slider, which both sat at 32.4%. The sinker, slider, and changeup are also in the mix for reliable options; he’s confident in using all three pitches, which hold value in their own way.</p>
<p>Across a bigger sample size (2024), his sinker drops vertically at around 21.6 inches downward with 16.5 inches of arm-side movement. The changeup has 26.4 inches of vertical movement with 15.3 arm-side movement. Both pitch options can instigate groundouts and flyouts, and they both hold between 11.2% and 12.9% put-away percentages.</p>
<p>Ureña’s clear-out pitch is the slider. The slider led his put-away percentage with a 21.8% put-away percentage last year and generated a 33.1% whiff rate and a 27.7% strikeout rate, boasting a .299 wOBA through 137 plate appearences.</p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="550" data-dnt="true">
<p lang="en" dir="ltr">ROSTER MOVES:</p>
<p>🔹 Signed RHP Spencer Turnbull to 1-year MLB contract &amp; optioned to FCL Blue Jays </p>
<p>🔹 Signed RHP José Ureña to 1-year MLB contract</p>
<p>🔹 RHP Max Scherzer transferred to 60-day IL</p>
<p>🔹 RHP Erik Swanson transferred to 60-day IL</p>
<p>🔹 LHP Josh Walker optioned to Triple-A <a href="https://t.co/JS33fQNF6I">pic.twitter.com/JS33fQNF6I</a></p>
<p>&mdash; Toronto Blue Jays (@BlueJays) <a href="https://twitter.com/BlueJays/status/1919414309492564030?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 5, 2025</a></p></blockquote>
<p><script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p>
<p>So, how do the Blue Jays find success with the right-hander? He needs to continue to last three to four innings each outing, along with forcing ground balls (47.9% groundball rate for his career), and continuing to sit around the 3.0 BB/9 area while reducing the number of hits he allowed in his previous outing.</p>
<p>The Jays need him to start tonight to bridge the gap in the fifth spot in the rotation, and he later could find himself in the bullpen down the road. Ureña is a versatile pitcher, and the Jays need his 2024 form again.</p>
<hr />
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The Toronto Blue Jays took the initiative to add reinforcements to their pitching corps, as they added two names to the roster this past weekend. Along with<a href="https://bluejaysnation.com/news/spencer-turnbull-is-more-than-just-a-depth-signing-for-the-toronto-blue-jays"> Spencer Turnbull</a>, the Blue Jays have also agreed to terms with veteran right-hander José Ureña, who joins the Blue Jays after a quick stint with the New York Mets, spending most of the 2025 season in triple-A.



While the bullpen is struggling and employs a few questionable options outside of the go-to leverage names, Ureña will bring some experience to the group and can even start games when needed, such as tonight in Los Angeles, where he gets the ball.
<div class="bam-inline-promotion" data-property-id="330" data-promotion-id="18983" data-context="“web-content-promocard&quot;"></div>
Through his 11 years in the big leagues, Ureña has split his time between seven different organizations before Toronto, a majority of which came with the Miami Marlins from 2015 through 2020. The right-hander has floated between the rotation and bullpen over the years, appearing in 233 games, 152 of which were starts.

Ureña saw a single appearance with the New York Mets in 2025 after posting a 2.89 ERA through three starts in triple-A for the Mets, pitching three innings of relief and picking up the save, despite the ugly stat line. Ureña allowed five earned runs on seven hits and two home runs to the Washington Nationals, entering the game in the seventh inning and needing 68 pitches to get through the outing. He currently holds a 15.00 ERA.
<h2><strong>Ureña offers multiple roles for Schneider and the Blue Jays</strong></h2>
The reliever’s three innings of work are nothing but a one-game slip-up, and shouldn't be too big of an issue when you look at the bigger picture. He currently holds a 2.67 WHIP, 23.1% hard-hit percentage, 15.4% barrel rate, and a 76.9% AIR percentage through the limited work.

2024 was a better year to dissect for Ureña, where he finished the season with a 5-8 record, 33 appearences, nine games started, and eight games finished for the Texas Rangers. The Dominican reliever threw 109 innings, striking out 70 hitters and walking 39. Ureña allowed 46 runs on 105 hits to the tune of a 3.80 ERA and a 4.62 FIP.

https://twitter.com/KeeganMatheson/status/1919758416278409451

The right-hander will offer approximately 40-70 innings per year if he stays in the bullpen, with an average of three innings per game in a long-relief type opportunity. His offerings will prosper in a short or long relief role, providing good relief innings, but as we have seen, the Jays seem interested in giving him a chance to start as well. This is likely temporary, barring some exceptional performances from the veteran out of the rotation, as he is bridging the gap for Max Scherzer to return and/or Spencer Turnbull to get up to speed, although he also could be an option in the bullpen.

He has a four-pitch repertoire: sinker, slider, changeup, and four-seam fastball. His fastball has up to a 97-98 mph max velocity, and was the lowest used of the four pitches during his Mets outing, sitting at 10.3% usage compared to the sinker and slider, which both sat at 32.4%. The sinker, slider, and changeup are also in the mix for reliable options; he’s confident in using all three pitches, which hold value in their own way.

Across a bigger sample size (2024), his sinker drops vertically at around 21.6 inches downward with 16.5 inches of arm-side movement. The changeup has 26.4 inches of vertical movement with 15.3 arm-side movement. Both pitch options can instigate groundouts and flyouts, and they both hold between 11.2% and 12.9% put-away percentages.

Ureña’s clear-out pitch is the slider. The slider led his put-away percentage with a 21.8% put-away percentage last year and generated a 33.1% whiff rate and a 27.7% strikeout rate, boasting a .299 wOBA through 137 plate appearences.

https://twitter.com/BlueJays/status/1919414309492564030

So, how do the Blue Jays find success with the right-hander? He needs to continue to last three to four innings each outing, along with forcing ground balls (47.9% groundball rate for his career), and continuing to sit around the 3.0 BB/9 area while reducing the number of hits he allowed in his previous outing.

The Jays need him to start tonight to bridge the gap in the fifth spot in the rotation, and he later could find himself in the bullpen down the road. Ureña is a versatile pitcher, and the Jays need his 2024 form again.

<hr />

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Breaking down the Blue Jays’ newest arm, José Ureña

Tampa Bay Rays designated hitter Brandon Lowe (8) reacts after hitting a single against the Toronto Blue Jays during the ninth inning at Rogers Centre.

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