The Hagerstown Suns have announced that LHP Matt Purke has been promoted to the Potomac Nationals.
It’s been a long, long, long time coming for the 22-year-old southpaw who was drafted in the 3rd round of the 2011 First Year Player Draft despite shoulder woes that inevitably led to his having surgery last offseason after making just three starts in 2012.
The past two seasons he’s made limited appearances in spring training and held back from joining a full-season minor-league team until mid-to-late May. Pitch counts limited his appearances in the early going in 2013, but have apparently increased of late as he’s been able to go five and six innings, respectively, in his last two starts.
For the season, he’s 1-1 with a pitcher’s line (ERA/FIP/WHIP) of 2.48/2.54/1.10 in his six starts with 7 walks and 41 strikeouts, which average per nine innings at 2.17 and 12.72 respectively.
With the recent spate of rainouts, as well as the promotion of Taylor Hill last week, it’s unclear when Purke will make his High-A debut. He last pitched on Friday, which with ordinary rest would have him pitching on Wednesday or Thursday.