Pirates call up Taillon for big league debut

After a dominant two months at Triple-A, the Pirates think Jameson Taillon is ready for a new challenge.

Pittsburgh has announced that Taillon, the organization's No. 4 prospect, is being promoted and expected to make his Major League debut Wednesday at PNC Park against the Mets.

Taillon, a 24-year-old right-hander, was the Pirates' first-round pick in the 2010 Draft and is 4-2 with a 2.04 ERA in 10 starts this season. The 6-foot-5 starter -- MLB.com's No. 49 overall prospect -- has struck out 61 batters, walked just six and allowed a pair of home runs in 61 1/3 innings for Triple-A Indianapolis this year.

Taillon acknowledged the news Tuesday with tweets about his dreams becoming reality.

"Used to practice my autograph all day in middle school, and I would dream of making the call to my family and friends," he said. "Crazy to think of how many people worked so hard with me and helped me on this journey! But, this journey is still just beginning!"

It was only two days earlier that Pirates general manager Neal Huntington downplayed the team's interest in promoting the prized righty.

"He's well ahead of our internal projections of where we thought he'd be," Huntington said on Sunday, according to CBS Sports. "He's getting closer. We're not 100 percent comfortable [moving him into the rotation] at this point, but we're getting close."

Taillon missed the past two seasons after undergoing Tommy John surgery and had not pitched since Sept. 1, 2013, before taking the mound for his debut this season on April 13. He's allowed three runs or fewer in all 10 starts and lasted at least six innings in nine of those outings.

He said earlier this week he was ready if the Pirates opted to promote him.

"They're pretty tight-lipped about it. I'm treating every start like it could be my last one," Taillon told BucsDugout.com in an interview published June 6. "I think once you're in Triple-A, you realize you're a step away from the big leagues. So there's a very real feeling that, any day, you could go up, and you have to be ready to contribute."

In 85 career games, Taillon is 20-23 with a 3.49 ERA and 417 strikeouts in 443 2/3 innings. This season, his 1.93 FIP, 10.2 K/BB, 0.9 BB/9 and 0.81 WHIP all rank best among Triple-A pitchers.

"I've been treating my last couple starts like, hey, I'm not working on anything," Taillon told BucsDugout. "I want to pitch with conviction, I want to attack guys, I want to treat it like I'm pitching in a big league game."

Last month, Taillon told MiLB.com that he felt he was ahead of schedule. The Pirates have a double-header today, affecting their rotation, and Taillon was slated to start on normal rest for Indianapolis on Wednesday.

"I'll definitely tell you that I'm ahead of where I thought I'd be, results-wise," he said on May 19. "I've always expected a lot out of myself, but I didn't set a numbers goal or anything like that. The important part was sticking to the process and learning what I've gathered from my rehab years, especially when it comes to a routine. It's working out for me so far