Pirates may have found a sneaky 2026 bounce-back candidate in Jose Urquidy

Pittsburgh Pirates fans may have been hoping for better competition for Carmen Mlodzinski for the fifth starter spot, but for now, Jose Urquidy is all they're going to get. That might not scratch the Pirates' itch for a reliable veteran innings eater, but sleeping on the potential Urquidy can provide as a depth piece is a mistake.

There was a time when the Mexican-born right-hander looked like a useful piece, serving as the Houston Astros' fifth starter for most of the 2022 season, which ended with Houston raising the Commissioner's Trophy.

He wasn't perfect, with middling strikeout rates and a propensity to give up too many gopher balls, but he did a decent enough job managing contact while rarely giving up free passes. With the ever-increasing prices competent starting pitchers command, those skills are useful, if not overly exciting.

However, no one has seen much of Urquidy over the past two seasons as he's missed almost all of 2024 and 2025 after undergoing Tommy John surgery, the second time he's gone under the knife for the procedure since turning pro stateside.

Jose Urquidy is an intriguing bounce-back candidate for the Pittsburgh Pirates who will benefit from a familiar face in his corner

Urquidy, especially after so much time lost to injury, might not get your engine running, but there are a few important things to consider.

Pirates insider Jason Mackey dropped a few nuggets to provide additional context, including the fact that Urquidy isn't the end of Pittsburgh's pursuit of a veteran starter, will serve as high-upside depth, and has a familiar face in his corner.

Urquidy returned to the mound briefly with the Detroit Tigers last season, throwing just three poor innings. 2026 will mark his real attempt at a comeback, and he'll have the smoothest possible adaptation with long-time Astros coach Bill Murphy being hired earlier this year as the Pirates' pitching coach.

The two know each other well, and Murphy has gotten the best out of Urquidy, with the 30-year-old having two of his best seasons with Murphy as his pitching coach in 2021 and 2022.

As Mackey points out, Urquidy is also intriguing due to his reverse splits. The Pirates don't have much in the way of left-handed options to start, and while Urquidy doesn't directly address that deficiency, over his career, lefties have hit just .203 against him versus a .267 average for right-handers.

Pittsburgh will continue searching for another, more established arm for the rotation. That's the right call. But, Urquidy could hang out in the bullpen and move into the rotation if and when he's needed, and should that happen, he has the upside to be much better than your average depth starter. For $1.5 milion, it's a very savvy move.