61 Brailyn Marquez RP

Marquez isn't included on the Cubs' 28-man roster for the team's NL Wild Card Series with the Marlins that begins Wednesday, Russell Dorsey of the Chicago Sun-Times reports.

The 21-year-old lefty made his MLB debut on the final day of the regular season Sunday against the White Sox, giving up five runs on two hits and three walks while recording only two outs. He'll cede his spot on the roster to utility man Ildemaro Vargas (hamstring), who was reinstated from the 10-day injured list in a corresponding move.

Marquez allowed five earned runs on two hits and three walks while retiring just two batters in Sunday's 10-8 win over the White Sox.

Thankfully for the Cubs, they built a 10-1 lead before Marquez entered in the eighth inning, as the lefty struggled mightily in his MLB debut. The 21-year-old will be a part of the Cubs' 40-man playoff roster, though it doesn't necessarily mean he'll appear in any games. Marquez certainly has the stuff to be effective, but he hadn't pitched above High-A before Sunday, so there would be plenty of risk in using him in the playoffs.

Marquez was called up by the Cubs on Sunday, Jordan Bastian of MLB.com reports.

This is a fairly significant win-now move by the Cubs adding their top pitching prospect ahead of the postseason. Adbert Alzolay is scheduled to start Sunday's regular-season finale, but Marquez could end up making his debut out of the bullpen. The lefty has an electric fastball and a plus slider, both of which should play right away against big-league hitters.

Marquez will be a part of the Cubs' 40-man playoff roster, Russell Dorsey of the Chicago Sun-Times reports.

Many top prospects are getting this distinction, but it doesn't necessarily mean we will see them playing in games. At the very least, Marquez, the Cubs' top pitching prospect, will get to travel with the big leaguers during the postseason. He throws as hard as any Cubs pitcher and is a lefty to boot, so it's possible he could see game action as a reliever.

Marquez is an option to fill a bullpen role for the stretch run with Rowan Wick (oblique) possibly done for the season, Sahadev Sharma of The Athletic reports.

Wick was placed on the 10-day injured list Saturday, and the Cubs activated Andrew Chafin (finger) to take the spot, but Marquez could still get a look. The 21-year-old has the type of swing-and-miss stuff from the left side that could make an impact during the stretch run and into the playoffs, though he's yet to appear in a game above the High-A level, so his learning curve would be pretty steep. For now, Chicago has Chafin, Rex Brothers, Kyle Ryan and Josh Osich as left-handed bullpen options, but none have been particularly effective this season.

Marquez will be a part of the Cubs' 60-man player pool this season.

Marquez will be among a handful of players who will train in South Bend while the MLB regulars work out at Wrigley Field. This means that Marquez will likely focus on development this year and seems unlikely to appear in the majors, especially considering the 21-year-old has never appeared above High-A.

Marquez struck out 14 and allowed just one hit across six scoreless innings in a win Thursday for Low-A South Bend.

Marquez posted his first career double-digit strikeout game in a dominant outing. The 20-year-old needed just 71 pitches to clear his six innings, and he threw 53 of those pitches for strikes. Marquez now has a 3.91 ERA this season, and while he's still likely a ways off from the majors, he's someone to keep an eye on as he moves up the organizational ladder given the life in his left arm.