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José Miguel Ureña Rodríguez (born September 12, 1991) is a Dominican professional
baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball sport played between two team sport, teams of nine players each, taking turns batting (baseball), batting and Fielding (baseball), fielding. The game occurs over the course of several Pitch ...
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in the
Minnesota Twins The Minnesota Twins are an American professional baseball team based in Minneapolis. The Twins compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. The team is named afte ...
organization. He has previously played in
Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball league composed of 30 teams, divided equally between the National League (baseball), National League (NL) and the American League (AL), with 29 in the United States and 1 in Canada. MLB i ...
(MLB) for the
Miami Marlins The Miami Marlins are an American professional baseball team based in Miami. The Marlins compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League East, East Division. The ...
,
Detroit Tigers The Detroit Tigers are an American professional baseball team based in Detroit. The Tigers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. One of the AL's eight chart ...
,
Milwaukee Brewers The Milwaukee Brewers are an American professional baseball team based in Milwaukee. The Brewers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Central Di ...
,
Colorado Rockies The Colorado Rockies are an American professional baseball team based in Denver. The Rockies compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League West, West Division. Th ...
,
Chicago White Sox The Chicago White Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The White Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. The club plays its ...
, Texas Rangers,
New York Mets The New York Mets are an American professional baseball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of Queens. The Mets compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National ...
,
Toronto Blue Jays The Toronto Blue Jays are a Canadian professional baseball team based in Toronto. The Blue Jays compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League East, East Division. Since 1989, the team has p ...
, and
Los Angeles Dodgers The Los Angeles Dodgers are an American professional baseball team based in Los Angeles. The Dodgers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League West, West Div ...
.


Career


Florida / Miami Marlins


Minor leagues

Ureña grew up in the Dominican Republic. The
Florida Marlins The Miami Marlins are an American professional baseball team based in Miami. The Marlins compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) East Division. The team plays its home games at LoanDepot Park. The ...
signed him on August 28, 2009, and he spent his first two professional seasons with the
Dominican Summer League Marlins The Dominican Summer Marlins are a minor league baseball team in the Dominican Summer League. The team plays in the Boca Chica North division and is affiliated with the Miami Marlins The Miami Marlins are an American professional baseball t ...
. In 2011, Ureña played in
Low-A Single-A, formerly known as Class A and sometimes as Low-A, is the fourth-highest level of play in Minor League Baseball in the United States, below Triple-A, Double-A, and High-A. There are 30 teams classified at the Single-A level, one for ...
with the
Jamestown Jammers The Jamestown Jammers were a minor league baseball team based in Jamestown, New York from 1994 until 2014. The team was the Short-Season A classification affiliate of the Pittsburgh Pirates and played in the New York–Penn League. The team play ...
, posting a 4.33 ERA in 15 starts. In 2012, he advanced to full-season Single-A, posting a 3.38 ERA in innings with the
Greensboro Grasshoppers The Greensboro Grasshoppers are a Minor League Baseball team based in Greensboro, North Carolina. They are members of the South Atlantic League and are the High-A affiliate of the Pittsburgh Pirates. They play their home games at First National B ...
. In 2013, Ureña played for the High-A
Jupiter Hammerheads The Jupiter Hammerheads are a Minor League Baseball team of the Florida State League and the Single-A affiliate of the Miami Marlins. They are located in the town of Jupiter in Palm Beach County, Florida, and play their home games at Roger Dean ...
, pitching innings with a 3.73 ERA. In 2014, he amassed a record of 13-8, pitching 162 innings with 121 strikeouts and a 3.33 ERA. Ureña began the 2015 season with the
New Orleans Zephyrs New or NEW may refer to: Music * New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz (South Korean band), The Boyz * New (album), ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartney, 2013 ** New (Paul McCartney song), "New" (Paul McCartney song), 2013 * New (EP), ''New'' (EP), ...
of the Triple–A
Pacific Coast League The Pacific Coast League (PCL) is a Minor League Baseball league that operates in the Western United States. Along with the International League, it is one of two leagues playing at the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A level, which is one grade bel ...
.


Major leagues

Ureña was called up to the major leagues for the first time on April 13, 2015, to replace David Phelps. In his first major league start on May 26, 2015, against the
Pittsburgh Pirates The Pittsburgh Pirates are an American professional baseball team based in Pittsburgh. The Pirates compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Central ...
, he gave up five runs in innings and took the 5–1 loss. In 20 games (9 starts) with the Marlins in 2015, Ureña finished with a 1–5 record and a 5.25 ERA. In 2016, Ureña split time starting and in the bullpen, finishing the year with a 4–9 record and a 6.13 ERA in 28 games (12 starts). In 2017, Ureña improved, appearing in 34 games (28 starts) with a 14–7 record, and a 3.82 ERA. He also hit a league-leading 14 batsmen with pitches. Ureña was named the Opening Day starter for 2018. On Opening Day against the
Chicago Cubs The Chicago Cubs are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The Cubs compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Central Division. Th ...
on March 29, 2018, Ureña did not fare well as he surrendered a home run by
Ian Happ Ian Edward Happ (born August 12, 1994) is an American professional baseball outfielder for the Chicago Cubs of Major League Baseball (MLB). He played college baseball at the University of Cincinnati for the Cincinnati Bearcats baseball team. The ...
on the first pitch he threw. He allowed five runs altogether in 4+ innings as the Marlins lost 8-4. Ureña started 16 games for the Marlins before landing on the disabled list with a shoulder injury. On August 15, 2018, he was ejected from a game against the
Atlanta Braves The Atlanta Braves are an American professional baseball team based in the Atlanta metropolitan area. The Braves compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Eas ...
after hitting Ronald Acuña Jr. on the elbow with the first pitch of the game, which led to the Braves' and Marlins' benches clearing. Acuña had hit a home run in his previous five games. Ureña received a six-game suspension for his role in the altercation. In his next start, Ureña threw a complete game against the
Washington Nationals The Washington Nationals are an American professional baseball team based in Washington, D.C. The Nationals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) East Division. They play their home games at Na ...
, giving up one run on two hits while striking out four batters. He ended the season going 6–0 in his final seven starts to go along with a 1.80 ERA. By posting a 3.82 ERA in 2017 and a 3.98 ERA in 2018, Ureña became just the sixth starting pitcher in Marlins history to post a sub-4.00 ERA in consecutive seasons, joining Pat Rapp, Kevin Brown,
Dontrelle Willis Dontrelle Wayne Willis (born January 12, 1982), nicknamed "the D-Train", is an American former professional baseball pitcher. A left-hander, he played in Major League Baseball for the Miami Marlins, Florida Marlins, Detroit Tigers, Arizona Diamo ...
, Josh Johnson, and
Aníbal Sánchez Aníbal Alejandro Sánchez Jr. (; born February 27, 1984) is a Venezuelan former professional baseball pitcher. He made his Major League Baseball (MLB) debut in 2006 with the Miami Marlins, Florida Marlins and also played for the Detroit Tigers, ...
. In 2019, Ureña became the eighth pitcher in Marlins history to make consecutive Opening Day starts. After beginning the season 0–3, he tossed
quality start In baseball, a quality start (QS) is a statistic for a starting pitcher defined as a game in which the pitcher completes at least six innings and permits no more than three earned runs. The quality start was developed by sportswriter John Lowe in ...
s in eight of his next nine outings, going 4–3 with a 2.95 ERA over that span. Following a start against the Atlanta Braves on June 7, 2019, Ureña was placed on the injured list with a herniated disc in his lower back. At the time of his injury, he was tied for twelfth in MLB with eight quality starts. On November 30, 2020, Ureña was designated for assignment following the acquisition of
Adam Cimber Adam Christian Cimber (born August 15, 1990) is an American professional baseball pitcher who is a free agent. He has previously played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the San Diego Padres, Cleveland Indians, Miami Marlins, Toronto Blue Jays a ...
. On December 2, Urena was non-tendered by the Marlins.


Detroit Tigers

On December 23, 2020, Ureña signed a one year, $3.25 million contract with the
Detroit Tigers The Detroit Tigers are an American professional baseball team based in Detroit. The Tigers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. One of the AL's eight chart ...
. Ureña earned a spot in the Tigers starting rotation to begin the 2021 season. After three losses to start the season, Ureña earned his first victory as a Tiger on April 27, allowing one earned run in seven innings as the Tigers beat the
Chicago White Sox The Chicago White Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The White Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. The club plays its ...
, 5–2. On May 2, 2021, Ureña became the first Tiger pitcher since David Price in
2015 2015 was designated by the United Nations as: * International Year of Light * International Year of Soil __TOC__ Events January * January 1 – Lithuania officially adopts the euro as its currency, replacing the litas, and becomes ...
to have four consecutive starts of at least seven innings while allowing two runs or fewer in every start. However, due to poor run support, Ureña only won one of these games. Ureña was placed on the 10-day injured list with a groin strain on June 17. He returned to make a start on August 28. He pitched in 26 games (18 starts) for the 2021 Tigers, compiling a 4–8 record with a 5.81 ERA.


Milwaukee Brewers

On March 29, 2022, Ureña signed a minor league contract with the
Milwaukee Brewers The Milwaukee Brewers are an American professional baseball team based in Milwaukee. The Brewers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Central Di ...
. The following day, Ureña had his contract selected to the 40-man and active rosters. He pitched to a 3.52 ERA with 3 strikeouts in 4 relief appearances for Milwaukee before he was designated for assignment on May 2. He elected free agency on May 10, 2022.


Colorado Rockies

On May 13, 2022, Ureña signed a minor league deal with the
Colorado Rockies The Colorado Rockies are an American professional baseball team based in Denver. The Rockies compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League West, West Division. Th ...
organization. On July 6, 2022, he was called up to the majors. In 17 starts for Colorado, Ureña worked to a 3-8 record and 5.14 ERA with 60 strikeouts in 89.1 innings pitched. On November 11, 2022, Ureña re–signed with Colorado on a one-year, $3 million contract with a 2024 club option. In 5 starts for the Rockies in 2023, he struggled to a 0-4 record and 9.82 ERA with 9 strikeouts in innings of work. He was designated for assignment on April 25, 2023. Ureña was released by Colorado on April 27.


Washington Nationals

On May 3, 2023, Ureña signed a minor league contract with the
Washington Nationals The Washington Nationals are an American professional baseball team based in Washington, D.C. The Nationals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) East Division. They play their home games at Na ...
organization. In 15 starts for the Triple–A
Rochester Red Wings The Rochester Red Wings are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the Washington Nationals. They are located in Rochester, New York, and play their home games at Innovative Fie ...
, he recorded a 6.31 ERA with 56 strikeouts in 67.0 innings of work. On August 3, Ureña was released by Washington.


Chicago White Sox

On August 8, 2023, Ureña signed a minor league contract with the
Chicago White Sox The Chicago White Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The White Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. The club plays its ...
organization. In 4 starts for the Triple–A
Charlotte Knights The Charlotte Knights are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the Chicago White Sox. They are located in Charlotte, North Carolina, and play their home games at Truist Field ...
, he logged a 3.38 ERA with 20 strikeouts in innings pitched. The White Sox purchased Ureña's contract to the major league roster on September 9, and he started that day against the
Detroit Tigers The Detroit Tigers are an American professional baseball team based in Detroit. The Tigers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. One of the AL's eight chart ...
. He took the loss after allowing one run on four hits and two walks with three strikeouts in four innings of work. In five starts with the White Sox, Ureña went 0-3 with a 4.10 ERA with 20 strikeouts in 26.1 innings pitched, also logging 2 quality starts. Consistent with his time as a Marlin, Ureña received little run support as a member of the White Sox with the team only scoring 11 total runs in his five starts. He became a free agent on November 2, 2023.


Texas Rangers

On January 16, 2024, Ureña signed a minor league contract with the Texas Rangers. On March 26, it was announced that Ureña had made Texas' Opening Day roster. Beginning the year in the bullpen, his first five appearances spanned 9.1 scoreless innings mostly working in middle relief. After making 10 appearances as a reliever, Ureña was given the starting nod against the
Oakland Athletics The Oakland Athletics (frequently referred to as the Oakland A's) were an American Major League Baseball (MLB) team based in Oakland, California from 1968 to 2024. The Athletics were a member club of the American League (AL) American League We ...
on May 7, a game in which got the win after giving up one earned run and striking out two in five innings of work. He remained a member of the starting rotation for an additional five starts, going 2-3 with a 2.84 ERA over that span. On June 5, he took a perfect game into the 6th inning against the
Detroit Tigers The Detroit Tigers are an American professional baseball team based in Detroit. The Tigers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. One of the AL's eight chart ...
, before giving up a home run to Justyn-Henry Malloy. He finished the game with the win after striking out six in 6.2 innings pitched. Moving back to the bullpen for the remainder of June, Ureña finished the month with a 0.50 ERA in 18 innings pitched, striking out 13 and walking just three. On June 23, Ureña earned his first save of the season after tossing four scoreless innings against the
Kansas City Royals The Kansas City Royals are an American professional baseball team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Royals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. The team ...
. On August 19, he became the first Rangers pitcher since Pat Mahomes Sr. to have three relief appearances of four or more scoreless innings in the same season. Ureña finished the season as one of only 12 players in the league to have both a quality start (three) and a save (one), totaling out at 5-8 with a 3.80 ERA in 109 innings of work. He became a free agent on October 31.


New York Mets

On February 27, 2025, Ureña signed a minor league contract with the
New York Mets The New York Mets are an American professional baseball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of Queens. The Mets compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National ...
. He was assigned to the Triple-A
Syracuse Mets The Syracuse Mets are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the New York Mets. They are located in Syracuse, New York, and play their home games at NBT Bank Stadium, which ope ...
to begin the year, where he posted a 2.89 ERA with eight strikeouts over three starts. On April 27, the Mets selected Ureña's contract, adding him to their active roster. Ureña made his season debut on April 28 and earned a save despite allowing five earned runs in three innings. He was
designated for assignment Designated for assignment (DFA) is a contractual term used in Major League Baseball (MLB). A player who is designated for assignment is immediately removed from the team's 40-man roster, after which the team must, within seven days, return the pla ...
by the Mets the following day. Ureña elected free agency after clearing waivers on May 1.


Toronto Blue Jays

On May 5, 2025, Ureña signed a one-year, major league contract with the
Toronto Blue Jays The Toronto Blue Jays are a Canadian professional baseball team based in Toronto. The Blue Jays compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League East, East Division. Since 1989, the team has p ...
. In six appearances for Toronto, he recorded a 3.65 ERA with five strikeouts across innings pitched. On May 31, Ureña was designated for assignment by the Blue Jays. He cleared waivers and elected free agency on June 2.


Los Angeles Dodgers

On June 3, 2025, Ureña signed a major league contract with the
Los Angeles Dodgers The Los Angeles Dodgers are an American professional baseball team based in Los Angeles. The Dodgers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League West, West Div ...
. He allowed one earned run on four hits and one walk, and recorded two strikeouts in three innings pitched over two appearances for the Dodgers. Ureña was designated for assignment by Los Angeles on June 10, and elected free agency after clearing waivers on June 13.


Minnesota Twins

On June 24, 2025, Ureña signed a minor league contract with the
Minnesota Twins The Minnesota Twins are an American professional baseball team based in Minneapolis. The Twins compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. The team is named afte ...
.


Pitching style

According to a scouting report prepared for MLB's 2014 midseason prospect rankings, the eighth-ranked Ureña had "an above-average fastball that can touch the mid 90s", a change-up, and a breaking ball that is " a combination of a slider and a curve". He was said to have "above-average command". However, Ureña's command of the ball has dipped significantly since the start of the 2017 season with
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writers recognizing "a history of control problems," noting that he hit 14 batters in 2017, tying in MLB for hit batters, and as of hitting Ronald Acuña Jr. in 2018, had tied for second in the
National League National League often refers to: *National League (baseball), one of the two baseball leagues constituting Major League Baseball in the United States and Canada *National League (division), the fifth division of the English football (soccer) system ...
, hitting 10 batters. According to Fangraphs, Ureña throws four-seam and sinking two-seam fastballs that each average 95 MPH (topping out at 99 MPH). His "slurve" is thrown at 84 to 88 MPH, and he mixes in a
changeup A changeup is a type of pitch in baseball and fastpitch softball. The changeup is a staple off-speed pitch often used in a pitcher's arsenal, usually thrown to look like a fastball, but arriving much more slowly to the plate. Its reduced spee ...
at about 89 MPH.


References


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Urena, Jose 1991 births Living people Águilas Cibaeñas players Baseball players from Santo Domingo Chicago White Sox players Colorado Rockies players Detroit Tigers players Dominican Republic expatriate baseball players in the United States Dominican Summer League Marlins players Greensboro Grasshoppers players Jacksonville Suns players Jamestown Jammers players Jupiter Hammerheads players Los Angeles Dodgers players Major League Baseball players from the Dominican Republic Miami Marlins players Milwaukee Brewers players New Orleans Zephyrs players New York Mets players Rochester Red Wings players St. Paul Saints players Syracuse Mets players Texas Rangers players Toronto Blue Jays players 21st-century Dominican Republic sportsmen