After the Chicago White Sox's loss to the Cincinnati Reds on Sunday, Pedro Grifol announced that Nick Nastrini will make his MLB debut against the Royals on Monday.
Nastrini, 24, was acquired by the White Sox ahead of last year's trade deadline as part of the Lance Lynn and Joe Kelly trade.
"I like his stuff. He's got talent. He's got a great presence. He's not afraid," manager Pedro Grifol said after the game on Sunday. "Obviously, it's going to be his debut, and we'll see how it goes. There's guys that come up here and this is the level for them. And then there's some guys that come up here, and they've got to make adjustments after their first or second start.
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"Debuts are debuts. We'll see what happens. But he's got good stuff. He's got presence. He's not scared, and he's going to compete his ass off, that's for sure."
So far, with the Triple-A Charlotte Knights, the right-hander has pitched 7.0 innings, posting a 7.71 ERA while striking out 13. In spring training with the White Sox, Nastrini posted a 3.77 ERA through 14.1 innings pitched while striking out 11.