San Diego Padres pitcher MacKenzie Gore is expected to make his first career MLB start on Friday against Atlanta Braves.
Gore’s been a top prospect in the Padres for a few seasons now and will finally get a chance to prove himself. His spot on the roster was originally reported by AJ Cassavell, Padres beat reporter. As a result, speculation began about his first potential start. MLB Pipeline cleared up the confusion on Thursday, tweeting out that Gore is scheduled to start on Friday.
MacKenzie Gore, who was baseball’s top-ranked pitching prospect from 2019-21, is expected to make his MLB debut tomorrow for the @Padres.
Here’s what to expect from the 23-year-old southpaw: https://t.co/m7YQM0D3IJ pic.twitter.com/olp30EbVzq
— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) April 14, 2022
As stated in the tweet, Gore was the top pitching prospect in baseball from 2019-21. The southpaw still ranks as the 85th prospect in the MLB right now, according to MLB.com. While it’s been a slower growth process than expected, he’s still fourth in the Padres’ system.
Gore has made one start this season with the Padres’ Triple-A affiliate in El Paso. In the start, he pitched five innings, allowing no runs while striking out seven. He allowed just two baserunners all game in a dominant opening performance.
MacKenzie Gore’s promotion to the big leagues was due to the injury of Blake Snell. Snell is destined to land on the 10-day IL with groin tightness. He described the injury as “minor”, but Gore will still have an opportunity to prove himself. In essence, Gore should be able to get a start or two in with the big league team.
From there, it’s likely that he heads back down to Triple-A to get further experience. With that being said, particularly after a successful spring, these next two weeks may be an audition for Gore’s 2022 season. If he excels, the Padres may have no choice but to find him a spot in the rotation or on the big league roster for the rest of the season.
