Mariners make exciting switch-pitcher call-up announcement

The Seattle Mariners' switch-pitching prospect is one step closer to the majors.

On Sunday, they called up Jurrangelo Cjintje to Double-A Arkansas.

The 2024 first-round pick has appeared in 19 games at High-A Everett this season and worked to a 4.58 ERA with 83 strikeouts in 74.2 innings.

Of course, his calling card is that he can throw both righty and lefty.

His right-handed self is more dominant and more stretched out at this point. The lefty side isn't bad, though.

Early in the season, the Mariners were having Cjintje throw longer outings righty with mid-week shorter lefty outings interspersed.

MORE: Cubs' Matthew Boyd has mastered the balk pickoff move

Of late, it seems based on the numbers that they've been using Cjintje more exclusively as a right-hander.

It's still a work in progress, of course. No one has ever really had this before.

Yes, Pat Venditte was a switch-pitcher at the MLB level, but he was a soft-tosser who would switch for the platoon advantage each at bat.

MORE: Red Sox leapfrog the Yankees in the standings for first time since March

Cjintje is trying to be a starting pitcher, and is at the very least capable of doing so as a righty. So the Mariners have to figure out how to put all the pieces of this puzzle together.

The good news: There's still plenty of time. Cjintje's development is going well, and he's moving up, and the final picture has the potential to look great, no matter how many pitching arms are involved.

MORE MLB NEWS:

• White Sox batters have turned into 1927 Yankees
• Steven Kwan shows kindness on the most stressful day of his MLB career
• Marlins' Jakob Marsee starts his MLB career in a way no one ever has
• Rockies' Warming Bernabel is red hot
• Oneil Cruz makes one of the best throws in MLB history
• Red Sox phenom Roman Anthony makes MLB history not done since Elmer Valo in 1940