Max Meyer to debut Saturday (source)

MIAMI — “I’m pumped. Let’s go.”

Those might’ve been the words of right-handed prospect Max Meyer, but they’re also the sentiment of Marlins fans after watching a video posted to Twitter on Thursday night. In it, MLB Pipeline’s No. 21 overall prospect and the club’s No. 2 prospect is told he will be headed to Miami on Friday.

Two-time All-Star Sandy Alcantara is slated to start the series opener against the Phillies on Friday, and according to a source, Meyer will make his Major League debut Saturday. First pitch is scheduled for 4:10 p.m. ET at loanDepot park. The Marlins (43-45) are three games back of the final National League Wild Card spot entering the first half’s final weekend.

Meyer will need to be added to the 40-man roster, which has an open spot after reliever Louis Head was claimed off waivers by the Orioles on Tuesday.

Miami selected Meyer third overall in the 2020 MLB Draft out of the University of Minnesota. In his first professional season, he pitched in the SiriusXM All-Star Futures Game and earned Double-A South Most Outstanding Pitcher after compiling a 2.41 ERA and 113 strikeouts in 101 innings spanning 20 starts. Meyer continued that dominance in a two-start Triple-A stint before the ’21 campaign ended.

The 23-year-old Meyer picked up right where he left off in 2022, posting a 1.72 ERA and 39 strikeouts in 31 1/3 frames through his first six starts. But he was uncharacteristically off in his next two outings, diagnosed with right ulnar nerve irritation that sidelined him for a month.

“I felt like I was almost there, but now I feel like my perspective has changed a little bit,” Meyer said while rehabbing in Jupiter, Fla. “Whenever I’m going up, that’s what it’s meant to be and it is what it is. I’ve just got to keep taking care of my stuff every day. Who cares what other people say if I’m going up, if I’m staying there? Doesn’t matter to me. I’ll get my shot, and I’ll be up there for a long time.”

At the time of Meyer’s selection in the Draft, his slider was the consensus best pitch in the 2020 Draft. His fastball sits at 92-95 mph and can reach 100 mph, according to MLB Pipeline’s scouting report. The question mark was his developing changeup. That would help determine whether he could remain a starting pitcher or eventually become a lights-out closer. Prior to the injury, Meyer had increased his fastball usage and had grown comfortable turning to his changeup in any count. His slider was still elite.

“We knew how competitive and…