White Sox designate José Urquidy for assignment, recall Noah Schultz from Triple-A

What happened

The White Sox announced that right-hander José Urquidy has been designated for assignment, with left-hander Noah Schultz recalled from Triple-A Charlotte as the corresponding move, per Darragh McDonald at MLB Trade Rumors. Urquidy, who had been picked up from Pittsburgh after the Pirates designated him for assignment in July, logged 22 2/3 innings across six appearances for Chicago — mostly in a long-relief role, with one start mixed in.

Why it matters

The move is less a verdict on Urquidy's performance than a quiet acknowledgment that the White Sox haven't had much use for him lately. Per the report, he made only two appearances this month, with the last coming on September 8. When a long reliever stops getting called upon, the writing tends to appear on the bullpen wall in fairly legible ink.

Schultz, meanwhile, represents a different kind of calculation. He carries far less big-league experience than Urquidy — just 65 1/3 innings at the major-league level — but the club, per McDonald's report, appears to be betting on his upside over Urquidy's familiarity. The report frames it plainly: the Sox have decided to give his spot to Schultz instead.

For Urquidy, the path forward runs through waivers. With the trade deadline having passed, any club that claims him would not be able to use him in the postseason, per the report. McDonald notes he might attract interest from a team in need of veteran innings to finish out the regular season — a narrow but real market for a pitcher with his profile.

The numbers

Urquidy's six-appearance stretch with Chicago produced a 4.37 ERA across 22 2/3 innings. His 5.3% walk rate was a genuine asset; his 15.8% strikeout rate and 37% ground ball rate were both, as McDonald puts it, subpar. Those figures aren't disqualifying for a swingman — the report acknowledges as much — but they don't exactly make a roster case when the innings aren't being requested.

The Tommy John surgery that wiped out most of 2024 and 2025 adds context to where Urquidy is in his career arc. This season at Triple-A, before his time with Pittsburgh and then Chicago, he posted a 3.48 ERA across 95 2/3 innings — a meaningful stretch of work for a pitcher rebuilding after that kind of absence. His brief stint with the Pirates was a struggle, though the report is careful to note it came in a small sample.

Schultz's minor-league numbers this year are the reason this conversation is happening at all. Per the report, he carries a 2.01 ERA, a 26.3% strikeout rate, and a 52.8% ground ball rate in the minors in 2026. That ground ball rate in particular is a different profile entirely from Urquidy's 37% — the kind of number that tends to make pitching coaches sit up a little straighter. His 6.06 ERA in 65 1/3 big-league innings is the counterweight, and it's a real one, but the organization is apparently willing to find out what the minor-league version looks like in a September context.

It is worth noting that Schultz himself hasn't pitched in the minors since September 6, per the report — so he arrives in Chicago carrying a few days of rest alongside whatever rust that implies.

Where the club stands

The Pittsburgh Pirates, from whom Urquidy was acquired in July, sit at 75-75 (.500), third in the NL Central and 18 games back in the division. They are eliminated from the division race. In the Wild Card picture, they rank fifth, 7.0 relative to the cut line, and enter Tuesday's home series against the Milwaukee Brewers riding a one-game winning streak, with Lake Bachar listed as their probable starter.

The Pirates' own September has been eventful. Ryan O'Hearn was activated off the injured list as Pittsburgh pushes through its home stretch, per earlier Posterior Wire reporting, and reliever Kirby Yates has been dealing with recurring injuries while weighing the possibility of retirement. The club that sent Urquidy to Chicago is navigating its own roster turbulence as the regular season winds down.

For the White Sox, the September roster expansion — which under general league rules allows clubs to carry 28 players through the end of the regular season — creates the flexibility to bring Schultz up without the move reading as a dramatic statement. It is, in the end, a depth decision: one long reliever out, one high-upside arm in, with the waiver wire as the next chapter for the veteran.

What we don't know yet

Whether Urquidy clears waivers or gets claimed remains to be seen. The report raises the possibility of a claim from a team needing veteran innings, but no specific interest has been reported. The 48-hour waiver clock will answer that question quickly enough.

It also isn't clear how Schultz will be deployed. The report describes the move as giving Schultz Urquidy's spot, but whether that means long relief, spot starts, or something else isn't specified.

What to watch

The waiver process for Urquidy is the immediate thread to follow — any claim would need to come from a club that has no postseason ambitions for him, which shapes the pool of potential suitors in an interesting way this deep into September.

On the Schultz side, his first appearance with Chicago will offer the first real data point on whether the 2.01 minor-league ERA translates, even partially, to the big-league environment. The gap between his Triple-A numbers and his major-league ERA is wide enough that the answer isn't obvious — which is precisely what makes it worth watching.