The Miami Marlins will promote right-hander Eury Pérez to the majors in advance of him making his big-league debut on Friday night against the Cincinnati Reds, the team announced Wednesday.
Pérez, 20, has made six starts this season in Double-A, amassing a 2.32 ERA and a 4.67 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 31 innings. He'd pitched particularly well in his two most recent outings, both against the Mississippi Braves. In those contests, Pérez held the Braves to two runs total on four hits and three walks over 11 innings. He struck out exactly half (20) of the 40 batters he faced across those games.
Not to be confused with the former journeyman outfielder of the same name, this Pérez is a 6-foot-8 right-hander with front-of-the-rotation potential. He has a deep, quality arsenal led by a mid-90s fastball and a pair of breaking balls, and he's shown impressive command given his profile. Whereas many pitchers his size and age are still struggling to find the strike zone on a consistent basis, he averaged a walk every three innings across 18 starts (all but one occurring at Double-A) while adding muscle to his once-gangly frame. Pérez may make his debut sometime in 2023, though it should be noted that he's yet to clear the 100-inning threshold in a single season.
Pérez will slot into a Marlins rotation that is without Johnny Cueto and Trevor Rogers. Miami has been relying upon a starting five of Sandy Alcantara, Braxton Garrett, Jesús Luzardo, Edward Cabrera, and an alternating cast of fifth starters (Devin Smeltzer and Bryan Hoeing among them). The merry-go-round should cease now.
The Marlins came into Wednesday with an 18-19 record on the young season, putting them in second place in the National League East. It should be noted that Miami's run differential, often a more predictive measure in smaller samples than pure won-lost record, is the worst in the division, at minus-55. Still, it seems to fair to write that the Marlins roster will be better with Pérez in tow than it was without him, raising their ceiling and their floor simultaneously.
Pérez's promotion means that all but two of CBS Sports' top eight prospects have appeared in the majors this season. The exceptions being young outfielders Jackson Chourio (Brewers, No. 4) and James Wood (Nationals, No. 5).
