Tampa Bay Rays Call Up No. 1 Prospect For MLB Debut

The Tampa Bay Rays have announced that their starting pitcher Zach Eflin will be placed on the 15-day injured list due to lower back tightness.

In his place, the team will call up their top pitching prospect, Taj Bradley, to make his major league debut against the Boston Red Sox on Wednesday evening.

Bradley is the Rays' No. 1 ranked prospect and the 18th-ranked prospect in all of baseball.

The Rays are calling up their No. 1 prospect, Taj Bradley, to make his MLB debut tomorrow.

The 22-year-old right-hander is No. 18 on the Top 100: https://t.co/0jNqiFIOKr pic.twitter.com/lZvG1mpD0B

— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) April 11, 2023

Bradley has been impressive in the minor leagues, having posted a 2.57 ERA and an impressive 141:33 K:BB ratio over a total of 133.1 innings in 2022 between Double-A Montgomery and Triple-A Durham.

Although he has only pitched two games for Durham this season, allowing four runs on six hits in seven innings, Bradley's long-term potential looks promising. However, due to his recent limited pitch counts, it's possible that his debut start could be relatively short.

#Rays RH Zach Eflin headed to 15-day IL with low back tightness. Prospect Taj Bradley will come up to make Wednesday start vs. #RedSox

— Marc Topkin (@TBTimes_Rays) April 11, 2023

It's disappointing for the Rays to lose Eflin, who had a good start to the season with just four runs on 12 hits in two outings.

Nonetheless, Bradley's promotion presents an exciting opportunity for the young pitcher to showcase his skills at the major league level.

Photo Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-USA TODAY Sports