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After a month in which he was damn near un-hittable for the Tripe-A Durham Bulls, Brendan McKay is getting his first shot in the show. It was announced Thursday night that the former Cardinal and Golden Spikes Award winner will start for the Tampa Bay Rays on Saturday when they face the Texas Rangers.
There had been some thought that Tampa Bay may wait until 2020 to have McKay make his Major League debut, but the two-way star has been so dominant in 2019 that the move became a no-brainer.
The 23-year-old left-hander has split time between Double-A and Triple-A this season. For Double-A Montgomery, he went 3-0 with a 1.30 ERA, striking out 62 in 41⅔ innings. He was promoted to Durham last month, and since then he has gone 3-0 with a 1.08 ERA, striking out 26 in 25 innings spanning five appearances (four starts).
His most recent appearance came June 22, when he allowed one run on three hits over five innings in a no decision against Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.
And at the plate, after scuffling at Double-A, McKay is slashing .265/.400/.551 with four home runs at Triple-A.
Saturday will be chapter one of what has the potential to be an extremely special Major League career.
Best of luck, Brendan.