The Miami Marlins officially added top pitching prospect Eury Perez to the active roster, with the right-hander set to make his major league debut Friday against the Cincinnati Reds.
In a corresponding move, right-hander Chi Chi Gonzalez was designated for assignment.
Perez, a 20-year-old native of the Dominican Republic, is ranked as baseball's eighth-best prospect by CBS Sports and No. 9 by MLB Pipeline, which pegs him as the Marlins' No. 1 prospect. His best pitches are a deceptive slider and a fastball that lives at 94-97 mph but peaks at 100. He also has a plus slider and his fourth pitch is a curve.
On Friday, the 6-foot-8 Perez will become the youngest player in Marlins history. At Double-A Pensacola this year, Perez is 3-1 with a 2.32 ERA in 31 innings. He averaged 12.2 strikeouts per nine innings and was holding opponents to a .148 batting average.
There's a need for Perez in the rotation with starters Johnny Cueto and Trevor Rogers on the injured list. In addition, Braxton Garrett has a 5.97 ERA and Edward Cabrera is at 5.35.
"Watching Eury perform for the past year has given us great confidence," Marlins general manager Kim Ng said.
Gonzalez, 31, had a 3.38 ERA in two outings with the Marlins this season. In seven major league seasons with six different clubs, Gonzalez is 9-24 with a 5.64 ERA in 70 appearances (52 starts).
More must-reads: