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Rafael Montero officially returned to AA Binghamton #Mets after spot start with Las Vegas.
— Adam Rubin (@AdamRubinESPN) May 22, 2013
Montero pitched six scoreless innings for the Las Vegas 51s in their game against the Iowa Cubs on Tuesday night. Things unraveled for him in the seventh, and Las Vegas ended up losing the game, but that shouldn't take away from the fact that Montero acquitted himself well in his Triple-A debut. He ended up with two runs allowed in 6.2 innings with five strikeouts and one walk.
Just because Montero isn't sticking at the Triple-A level doesn't mean that he's any farther away from a possible major league debut later this season. Plenty of players go straight from Double-A to the majors these days, and Montero's impressive performance with Binghamton could put him in line for a September call up if he keeps pitching well. So far, he has 54 strikeouts and just six walks in 46.2 innings with a 3.47 ERA in eight Double-A starts.
There's no doubt that Las Vegas is a tougher place to pitch than Binghamton, but what Montero is doing as a 22-year-old is promising no matter which level he's assigned to.