Mick Abel set for Twins debut Saturday, Jose Ureña DFA'd

Mick Abel, one of the two standout prospects the Twins acquired from the Phillies for Jhoan Duran, will reportedly make his Minnesota debut in Saturday's evening's game against the White Sox. Journeyman veteran Jose Ureña will be designated for assignment to make room on the roster.

Abel, who recently turned 24, made three sharp starts for Triple-A St. Paul after coming over to the Twins' organization. He went 15.1 innings in those games, allowing seven hits, six walks, and three earned runs (1.76 ERA). He struck out 23 batters.

The Twins wanted to get both Abel and Taj Bradley some work in Triple-A after landing them in pre-deadline trades, but both have already spent time in the major leagues and were inevitably going to be called up before long. It sounds like Bradley might make his Twins debut in the series finale on Sunday, which would push Joe Ryan's start back to Monday in Toronto.

Abel made six starts for the Phillies earlier this season. He had a sparkling debut (6 shutout innings, 9 strikeouts) against the Pirates and carried a 2.21 ERA through his first four starts, but some trouble in his last two outings raised his ERA to 5.04 and landed him back in the minors. Between the two organizations, he has a 2.22 ERA and 104 strikeouts in 89.1 Triple-A innings this year.

This should be fun to watch. Abel's fastball averages 95-96 and can go as high as 99, and he mixes in four secondary offerings, including an excellent curveball. He projects as a long-term member of the Twins' starting rotation. Getting the White Sox (28th in team OPS) for his Twins debut is a pretty favorable matchup, even if they've been better offensively over the past couple months.