On Aug. 8, Brusdar Graterol came out of the bullpen for the first time since 2017. He tossed 1 2/3 innings of one-hit ball in that outing, then made two more relief appearances for Double-A Pensacola before getting bumped up to Triple-A. He had four more outings out of the 'pen there, and while he did give up three runs (on a three-run homer) on Aug. 27, that was the only time in seven appearances he was scored upon as a reliever.

After missing more than two months with a shoulder impingement, it would be easy to believe the Twins were just being extra-cautious with their top-ranked pitching prospect (No. 3 on the Twins' Top 30 Prospects list and No. 54 on the overall Top 100). But they were also getting him ready for what happened on Sunday after his first big league callup -- coming out of the big league bullpen.

Graterol tossed a scoreless ninth in the Twins’ 8-3 victory over the Tigers, showing the premium velocity that has only increased since he’s been moved into shorter stints. He was up to 99.6 mph against Detroit and finished things off with a two-seamer with that velocity that got a ground ball for a double play.

The Twins still see Graterol as a starter long-term, even though there are some durability concerns, but he’ll be pitching out of the 'pen in September, and perhaps into the postseason, if needed. Here’s a closer look at the stuff he will be using in that role.

Fastball: Graterol was consistently throwing 96-98 mph, and he could maintain his velocity deep into starts. He’d touch triple digits on occasion, but he’s been doing it regularly since giving relief work a try. He topped 103 mph back in Double-A right before his promotion. He throws it with sink, so he both misses bats and gets weak contact on the ground with it.

Slider: One of two breaking balls, this pitch can be a plus one when he commits to throwing it hard. It was a good sign that he was up over 88 mph with the pitch during his big league debut. It can be downright nasty when it’s a true power breaking ball.

Curveball: It’s a slower pitch that’s more Major League average. When he’s on as a starter, he has good separation between his two breaking pitches. In relief, it wouldn’t be surprising if he puts the curve on the shelf and focuses mostly on his fastball-slider combination.

Changeup: He’s worked to refine his off-speed pitch and it eventually could be Major League average. He could still use it against left-handed hitters to give them a different look, but again, in shorter stints, there won’t be as much need for it.

Control: Graterol has shown the ability to fill up the strike zone in the past, though his walk rate did jump up in 2019, which might be as much as him shaking off rust after missing a lot of time as anything else. He walked four in 10 1/3 relief innings in the Minors and he won’t have to have pinpoint command to have success in short stints.