PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Pirates will promote top pitching prospect Paul Skenes for his major league debut on Saturday, a person with direct knowledge of the decision told The Associated Press.
The person spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity Wednesday because the Pirates hadn’t explicitly announced the promotion, although the club did send out a hype video of Skenes with “5.11.24.”
Skenes was the first overall pick in the 2023 amateur draft out of LSU. The 21-year-old right-hander is 0-0 with a 0.99 ERA in seven Triple-A starts, with 45 strikeouts in 27 1/3 innings.
He is considered among baseball’s top prospects and comes with unusual star power for a baseball rookie, in part because of his relationship with LSU gymnast and social media influencer Livvy Dunne.
The Pirates host the Cubs on Saturday.