Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts announced the club will call up top pitching prospect Jose De Leon and start him Sunday against the San Diego Padres. The outing will be De Leon’s Major League debut.
De Leon’s arrival coincides with Julio Urias’ time in the Dodgers’ rotation appearing to be on the verge of coming to an end. The duo began the 2016 season with Triple-A Oklahoma City and rated among the top pitching prospects in all of baseball.
De Leon was slowed by an ankle injury out of Spring Training and remained at Camelback Ranch to rehab. He then missed time one month after making his debut with the OKC due to right shoulder soreness.
The 24-year-old is 7-1 with a 2.61 ERA and 0.94 WHIP in 86.1 innings over 16 starts this season. De Leon’s last start with Oklahoma City was another strong effort in what’s been a dominant stretch.
He tossed 7.2 shutout innings to extend his scoreless streak to 17.2 innings. What’s more, De Leon hd 13 strikeouts in the start, which were the second-most by an Oklahoma City pitcher in a single game since the club joined the PCL in 1998.
The start was De Leon’s third consecutive with double-digit strikeouts, and he is the first pitcher Oklahoma City in PCL era to record five double-digit strikeout games in a season. “He’s earned the right to get up here,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said of De Leon.
“I know he’s got a very good fastball, a plus change, and a breaking ball to go along with his mix. He’s a great young man, a hard worker and has a lot of character. I’m anxious to learn a little more about him.”
Roberts didn’t commit to De Leon remaining part of the rotation beyond Sunday.
