Ex-Twins journeyman pitcher José Ureña heading overseas to play in Japan with Carson McCusker, Kenta Maeda
This week, the Rakuten Golden Eagles of Japan's Nippon Professional Baseball announced they have signed former Twins right-handed pitcher José Ureña to a one-year contract. Ureña is now teammates with fellow former Twins Carson McCusker and Kenta Maeda.
Ureña, who signed with Minnesota in late June after being released by the Los Angeles Dodgers, played a key role for the Twins after the 2026 trade deadline, allowing nine earned runs with 10 strikeouts and eight walks across 17 2/3 innings before the Twins designated him for assignment in late August and he elected free agency. He then signed with the Los Angeles Angels on August 31 and finished the 2025 campaign by posting a 3.79 ERA with 14 strikeouts and 10 walks for the Angels.
Ureña began the 2025 season with the New York Mets. He made just one MLB appearance for them, surrendering five runs in three innings before being designated for assignment in late April. He signed with the Toronto Blue Jays in early May. With Toronto last season, Ureña had a 3.65 ERA with five strikeouts and three walks in 12 1/3 innings. The Blue Jays designated him for assignment in late May, allowing him to sign with the Dodgers. He pitched just three innings for the Dodgers before being designated for assignment.
By pitching for five separate teams last season, Ureña tied the MLB record held by just two other players. He likely could've bounced around the league again in 2026 if he wanted. Instead, he chose stability by signing with Rakuten. If he has a strong season in Japan, he may rejoin the big leagues in 2027.
José Ureña played vital role for Twins after the 2025 trade deadline
Even though his time with Minnesota was short, Ureña made a positive impact on the team by eating innings when the pitching staff desperately needed help. The Twins traded six MLB pitchers (Chris Paddack, Jhoan Durán, Griffin Jax, Louis Varland, Brock Stewart and Danny Coulombe) in July, creating a situation where they had to rely on a lot of journeymen to eat innings on the mound.
Ureña wasn't amazing by any means during his tenure with the Twins. But the Twins didn't need him to dominate on the mound. They just needed him to take on some innings, as postseason hopes were out the window when he joined Minnesota.