KANSAS CITY -- The Twins are set to recall pitching prospect Felix Jorge from Double-A Chattanooga to make his Major League debut with a start in Game 2 of Saturday's doubleheader against the Royals.
Jorge will be the club's designated 26th man on the roster, while right-handed reliever Thomas Pressly will also be called up from Triple-A Rochester. Right-hander Alan Busenitz, who allowed one unearned run in 2 2/3 innings in Friday night's 8-1 loss to the Royals, was optioned to Rochester after the game.
Jorge, ranked as the club's No. 8 prospect by MLBPipeline.com, is 8-1 with a 3.26 ERA in 14 starts at Double-A. He also logged 61 strikeouts and 22 walks in 85 2/3 innings. The 23-year-old right-hander was told of his callup by Chattanooga manager Jake Mauer on Thursday, and said he immediately called his mom in the Dominican Republic and they both cried tears of joy.
"I'm very happy," Jorge said through translator Carlos Font. "This is a dream you follow and chase your whole life. To be here is great."
Jorge had been pitching well recently, going 5-0 with a 2.63 ERA over his last seven starts. Twins manager Paul Molitor had the chance to see Jorge in Spring Training, and came away impressed by his athleticism and makeup.
"One of the reasons we're high on him is that he's fairly polished at a young age," Molitor said. "He's good at holding runners, fielding his position, slowing the game down. So this is a good opportunity for him."
Jorge, a 6-foot-2, 170-pounder, has drawn comparisons to Twins right-hander Ervin Santana because of their similarities on the mound and demeanor. Jorge said he plans to intently watch Santana's start on Friday night to see how he attacks Royals hitters.
"He's got a little bit of an Ervin thing on the mound for me," Molitor said. "Not to compare him to Ervin, but the calmness, it just seems like he's out there having fun and doing something he's always done. I don't see him getting too worked up."
The Twins also considered fellow prospect Fernando Romero, who has a 2.97 ERA with 76 strikeouts and 30 walks in 78 2/3 innings at Double-A. But they felt Jorge was better equipped to handle a Major League start right now.
"The higher-end stuff is probably Romero, but we feel [Jorge's] a guy who is going to throw it over and handle whatever speed bumps come," Molitor said. "He seems to show a little bit more control out of those two at this time. But it's not a knock on the other guy."