BYU baseball has another big leaguer.
Former Cougars pitcher Justin Sterner was called up by the Tampa Bay Rays Friday afternoon, where his first appearance with the club will mark his MLB debut.
In 15 games with Triple-A Durham this season, the 27-year-old right hander has posted a 1-2 record with a 3.60 earned run average and 33 strikeouts across 25 innings of work.
Since arriving in the minors in 2021, Sterner is 17-9 with a 4.14 ERA and 247 strikeouts in 119 total appearances.
Sterner was originally signed by the Miami Marlins to an undrafted free agent deal in 2020, only to be traded to Tampa Bay a year later.
In three seasons at BYU, the former walk-on was 8-4 with a 2.86 ERA and 103 strikeouts in 100.2 innings, serving as the team’s ace for much of his time in Provo.
Sterner will join the Rays in Baltimore for the team’s three-game series with the defending division champion Orioles. He will be the 35th former Cougar to play in an MLB game and the first to debut since Michael Rucker in 2021.