Rockies has released the boot José Urenaaccording to transaction log at MLB.com. That was the outcome that was expected when Colorado named the right-hander to take the task on Tuesday.
Ureña has had a very difficult start to the season. Through five outings, he hit 18 1/3 innings with 22 runs. He walked 14 while scoring only 9 shots and produced his career-worst 7.2% swing hits. He and Ken Waldichuk are leading the major league with nine allowed home runs.
That’s clearly not the manufacturing caliber that Colorado’s main office had in mind when it signed a $3.5 million free agency contract with Ureña last winter. It’s a return to Coors Field for the submersible pitcher, who spent the last four months of last season in Denver. Ureña posted 5.14 ERAs through 89 thirds innings last season. While not overly productive, it’s useful enough for a group of Rockies that are light on spin depth. Ureña hasn’t been able to repeat those numbers in the first month of this season, and Colorado has moved up pretty quickly.
Ureña still has to pay around $2.5 million in wages through the end of the season, plus a $500k buyback on the 2024 club option. No team will ever take that away from you. hand Colorado, so it’s almost certain that he won’t be asked for a release waiver. The 31-year-old hurdler will then be free to explore other opportunities. Any team that carries Urea on its MLB roster will owe him only the prorated $720K minimum wage, which will be deducted from Colorado’s obligations. Given his level of difficulty early in the season, he looks like he’ll be limited to minor league offers.
The League will have some interest in adding him to the Triple-A rotation. Ureña has never reached impressive strike or walking rates but he has always kept the ball on the ground at a higher-than-average pace. He has 813 major league plays over nine seasons, carrying a career 4.92 ERA.
