It took Owen White nearly three years from the time he signed with the Rangers to make his pro debut. Once he got started, he needed barely more than two years to reach the big leagues.

With Jon Gray scratched from his Tuesday start because of blister issues and the bullpen overtaxed in a 12-inning loss to the Angels the day before, Texas summoned White to the Majors. The organization's best pitching prospect is ranked No. 47 on MLB Pipeline's Top 100 Prospects list, and the 23-year-old right-hander initially will be used in a relief role, even though he's projected as a starter in the long term.

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White didn't have to wait long to get into action with the Rangers, relieving Cody Bradford in the fifth inning Tuesday. He retired the first three batters he faced, striking out Chad Wallach and Taylor Ward on sliders that Statcast recorded as cutters, before he gave up hits to four of the next six, including a two-run homer to Hunter Renfroe. He allowed three runs in two innings of work while throwing 24 of 36 pitches for strikes and reaching 95 mph with his fastball.

White was one of the more athletic and projectable prep pitchers in the 2018 MLB Draft. A product of Carson High (China Grove, N.C.), he drew some interest from college programs as a quarterback but gave up football as a senior to focus on baseball and adding some strength. Texas selected him in the second round that June and signed him away from a South Carolina commitment with an over-slot $1.5 million bonus.

It would be quite a while before White took the mound in a pro game. The Rangers decided to hold all three high school arms they selected in the first four rounds -- Cole Winn (first round), White, Mason Englert (fourth) -- out of game action so that they could concentrate on learning and conditioning in their first summer, but both White and Englert injured their elbows in the spring of 2019 and required Tommy John surgery.

The pandemic wiped out the 2020 Minor League season, so White's debut was pushed back to May 2021 at Single-A. In his first start, he got frustrated after making an error and slammed his pitching hand on the ground, breaking it and costing him three more months. Once healthy again, he emerged as a top prospect in the Arizona Fall League, where he went 5-0 with a 1.91 ERA and won Pitcher of the Year honors.

With four different pitches that grade as plus or better when they're at their best, White features one of the most complete arsenals among pitchers on our Top 100. His athleticism and easy delivery produce consistent strikes with each of them.

White's top offering is his slider, which sits at 82-86 mph and touches 89 with both horizontal action and two-plane depth that makes it effective against both left-handers and right-handers. He sets it up with a fastball that parks at 92-96 mph and peaks at 98 with armside run and carry. He also gets good depth on a 78-82 mph curveball and imparts fade on an 86-88 mph changeup that can get too firm at times.

• Pitching lab: Owen White

This season, White had posted a 3.54 ERA, .211 opponents' average against and 45/22 K/BB ratio in 53 1/3 innings over 11 Double-A starts. His best start of the year came last Wednesday, when he allowed just one hit and struck out six in seven shutout frames to win Texas League Pitcher of the Week honors.

White clearly has the upside of a frontline starter provided he stays healthy. He did miss two months last summer with a tired arm before returning to whiff all six batters he faced in the Double-A Texas League championship clincher. The Rangers will let him get acclimated to the Majors as a reliever; his first stint with them may be brief, but he's ready to help them as a starter later this season when needed.