Ueda made his first-team debut for Kashima Antlers in the J. League Cup on 23 March 2013 against F.C. Tokyo in which he started and played the whole 90 minutes as Kashima lost the match 4–2. Two months later on 22 May 2013, Ueda made another appearance for the side, starting the whole game, in a 2–1 loss against Cerezo Osaka. He later played a role against Sony Sendai in the second round of the Emperor's Cup on 7 September 2013, setting up the club's first goal of the game, in a 3–0 win. However, Ueda found his first team opportunities limited in his first season at Kashima Antlers and appeared as an unused substitute for most of the season. At the end of the 2013 season, he went on to make three appearances for the side in all competitions.
