Jharel L. Cotton makes his debut in Major League Baseball on Wednesday September 7, 2016, when he starts for the Oakland Athletics against the Los Angeles Angels at the Oakland Colliseum, California. Photo: Provided

Cotton struck out 28.5% of the batters he faced this year in AAA. Photo: Provided

Cotton, who Virgin Islands News Online featured as a Young Professional in March of this year, is scheduled to start along with right-hander Raul Alcantara.

Both are coming from Triple-A Nashville and arrive in Oakland with a certain level of anticipation.

Cotton, 24, made a quick impression by coming within one out of a perfect game in his second start for Nashville, settling for a one-hit shutout with 12 strikeouts. In his six starts with Nashville, Cotton is 3-1 with a 2.82 ERA and a 0.91 WHIP.

Cotton struck out 28.5% of the batters he faced this year in AAA.

He joins Jabari Blash as the only 2 players from the Greater Virgin Islands to play this season in MLB.

“He hasn’t done anything to suggest that he’s not ready to pitch here based on what we’ve seen and what our guys have seen in development,” Manager of the Oakland Athletics Robert P. Melvin said. “Another guy whose time is right to be here and see what we have going forward.”

Alcantara and Cotton are filling the rotation spots of Sean Manaea and Andrew Triggs, both of whom recently joined a long list of injured A’s starting pitchers. Melvin said the two call-ups may well remain in the depleted rotation for the rest of the season.

Alcantara was acquired from Boston in the trade that also brought Josh Reddick to the A’s. Ironically, the A’s acquired Cotton last month in the deal that sent Reddick to the Dodgers.

“I would hope they pitch their way into that,” Melvin said. “But yeah, at this point, that’s the way it’s looking.”