It’s official: Zack Wheeler will open 2013 in Triple-A.
According to ESPN New York’s Adam Rubin, the top pitching prospect was formally reassigned to minor league camp on Sunday morning in Port St. Lucie. He made one appearance in the Grapefruit League, striking out two batters over two scoreless innings.
Wheeler, ranked 11th on Baseball America‘s most recent Top 100 prospect listing, posted a 3.26 ERA, 1.17 WHIP and 148/59 K/BB ratio over 149 innings last season between Double-A Binghamton and Triple-A Buffalo. He was acquired from the Giants in the summer of 2011 for outfielder Carlos Beltran.
The 22-year-old righty is expected to make his major league debut before the All-Star break.