Why Pirates' Jose Urquidy won't play for Mexico at World Baseball Classic

He was on the roster, and then he wasn't. 

Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher Jose Urquidy will not play for Mexico at the 2026 World Baseball Classic due to "insurance restrictions," according to the LMB website. The LMB is Mexico's professional summer league.  

Right-hander Roel Ramirez will reportedly replace Urquidy on Mexico's roster. The Pirates and Urquidy agreed to a one-year, $1.5 million contract for 2026 after he spent most of last season recovering from Tommy John Surgery. 

Urquidy's fit with the Pirates 

Paul Skenes will be the Opening Day starter for the Pirates. There's no doubt about that. Pittsburgh has a young rotation featuring arms like Bubba Chandler and Braxton Ashcraft. 

Urquidy slots in likely as the No. 4 or No. 5 arm. The 30-year-old won a World Series with the Houston Astros in 2022 and made two relief appearances for the Detroit Tigers last season, allowing two earned runs with three strikeouts and three walks in 2.1 innings. 

A full spring training should help Urquidy get back to a similar form as 2022, when he made 28 starts and posted career highs in innings (164.1) and strikeouts (134). 

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