The Blue Jays announced that they have selected the infielder’s contract Luis Urías. Over the weekend it was reported that the Jays acquired him from the Diamondbacks. The one who plays outside By Hendrick Piñango optioned to Triple-A Buffalo as a corresponding active program move. Toronto has a 40-man cap space, so no corresponding moves are needed in that regard yet. However, the right hand Shane Bieber he is expected to come off the 60-day injured list for the start of tomorrow’s game, so the Jays will need to make room for him before then.
This will be Urías ninth major league season as soon as he enters the game. He hasn’t played shortstop since 2022 but is still an active second baseman and third baseman. His case was mercurial. He came up with the Brewers in 2021 and 2022, hitting 39 home runs in those two seasons, leading to a .244/.340/426 slash line and a 111 wRC+. Since then, he has a .213/.319/.337 line and an 88 wRC+ in 616 plate appearances split between the Brewers, Red Sox, Mariners and Athletics.
Because of that streak of bad results, he had to accept a minor league deal with Arizona that will go into this year. He was in good form at Triple-A Reno, with the Cavs. His .361/.393/.546 line is great, though it’s backed by a .367 batting average on balls in play. He was also playing in the friendly Pacific Coast League, although his wRC+ of 123 shows that he was above average even in that league. He had an opt-out clause in his minor league deal, which led to his trade and this big league opportunity with Toronto.
For the Jays, they don’t expect Urías to be a star, but he will balance out their mix of position players. They just returned Daulton Varsho on the injured list, giving them four outfielders, and three more Nathan Lukes, Jesus Sánchez and Piñango.
At the time, they were operating without much infield depth in the running order. They usually have it Kazuma Okamoto, Andrés Giménez, Ernie Clement again Vladimir Guerrero Jr. from left to right. Among their bench players, Davis Schneider he was the only outfielder, and is still an option at second base. Clement can jump, so it was a bit of a delay, but having Urías gives the club a lot of inside cover and another good belt off the bench.
The shuffle will cost Piñano his roster spot for now. The rookie has been effective, so the move is likely about the aforementioned roster cuts. He has a .283/.331/.433 line and a 113 wRC+ on the year. He was better when he was first called up but even his recent form has been good. He had a .294/.333/.447 line and a 117 wRC+ at the end of May. As the calendar has turned to June, his .262/.326/.405 line is less impressive but still leads to a wRC+ of 105.
Piñago’s defense has been poor, so his value to the club is not as strong as you would expect with that level of offense. He’s only 24 years old, so there should be room for improvement there. In the meantime, he can get regular at-bats with Buffalo while also maybe making strides in the field.
Photo courtesy of Daniel Kucin Jr., Imagn Images
