Top prospects don’t always work out.
On this day six years ago, the Toronto Blue Jays designated a former top 100 prospect, Richard Ureña, for assignment. It was to make room for Travis Shaw signing, which also didn’t work out well for the Jays.
Back in 2012, the Blue Jays signed Ureña for a signing bonus of $725,000. By 2016, Ureña reached Double-A and ranked as the Blue Jays’ seventh-best prospect. Most of Ureña’s 2017 was spent in Double-A, but since he was on the 40-man roster, he was called up to the big leagues that season and got some playing time
In their 2017 rankings, MLB Pipeline ranked Ureña as their 94th-best prospect, but his stint with the Blue Jays didn’t go so great. In 75 plate appearances, Ureña slashed .206/.270/.309 with one home run in 75 plate appearances for a 55 wRC+. The middle infielder also struck out 37.3% of the time, but Ureña was only 21 years old at this point, so there was still promise.
Entering the 2018 season, Ureña ranked as MLB Pipeline’s 11th-best Blue Jays prospect and spent most of the season with the Triple-A Buffalo Bisons. In 268 plate appearances, Ureña slashed .216/.250/.344 with five home runs in 268 plate appearances. The infielder even got some action with the Blue Jays, slashing .293/.340/.364 with a home run in 108 plate appearances for a 94 wRC+.
That was the best Ureña ever looked in the big leagues. Despite finishing at the bottom of the league in 2019, Ureña didn’t get much of a look with the Jays, slashing just .243/.273/.324 with no home runs in 80 plate appearances. His Triple-A stats weren’t much better, slashing just .274/.314/.393 with six home runs in 403 plate appearances for a 79 wRC+.
On Dec. 30, 2019, the Jays made a decision that would’ve been unthinkable just two seasons before, designating the then 23-year-old for assignment. The Baltimore Orioles claimed him off waivers, but due to the pandemic season, Ureña didn’t play in 2020.
He returned to the Blue Jays organization for the 2021 season, where he slashed .272/.310/.438 with nine home runs in 350 plate appearances for a 95 wRC+, the best season he ever produced in the upper minors. The Dominican Republic native left the Jays organization for good after the 2021 season, joining the Washington Nationals organization for the 2022 season, where he had just 142 plate appearances over 37 games.
Ureña played for Gigantes del Cibao in the Dominican Winter League during the 2022-23, 2023-24, and 2024-25 seasons, but is inactive this year. In 2023, the middle infielder also played in the Atlantic League, an independent league, where he slashed .269/.315/.462 with 18 home runs in 397 plate appearances for York Revolution.
Ureña had so much promise early in his career, but at just 29 years old, it looks like his career has essentially come to an end, as he’s had just two plate appearances since the 2023-24 Winter League season.
Ryley Delaney is a Nation Network writer for Blue Jays Nation, Oilersnation, and FlamesNation. She can be followed on Twitter @Ryley__Delaney.