Why the Marlins sent down a promising pitching prospect

Despite being very much in the thick of the playoff hunt in the National League, the Miami Marlins decided, curiously, to send electric top pitching prospect Eury Perez down to the minors on Friday. 

On the surface, the move may leave Marlins fans scratching their heads. As Craig Mish of the Miami Herald explained, though, it's all part of the Miami's plan.

"He is not being shut down. The plan for him is to go to the minors and continue to throw," Mish tweeted. "Clearly, this is being done to limit his workload for a potential call-up later in the season." 

The Marlins' attempt to preserve Perez's arm isn't unheard of. The Washington Nationals used a similar strategy with Stephen Strasburg in 2012 after he had undergone Tommy John Surgery the previous year. While Perez's injury history isn't that extensive, he did miss time last season due to a shoulder injury. 

With the Marlins leading the NL wild card race, justifying the demotion is challenging, but Perez is the franchise's future, so caution might be wise with the 20-year-old. And the decision could have merit, as Perez has begun to show some signs of tiring. He had dropped his last two starts for the Marlins, allowing seven earned runs combined over 6 1/3 innings of work, so perhaps a cool-down is necessary. 

At some point, Perez will be back with the Big League club. However, as Mish pointed out, if the Marlins have a clear-cut date in mind, they aren't telling. 

Perez has been remarkable on the mound in a small sample size. According to Sarah Langs of ESPN, Perez is the first player since 1901 to throw five or more innings while allowing one run or fewer in eight of their first 11 career starts.

Over 11 outings, Perez is 5-3 with a 2.36 ERA and 61 strikeouts in 53.1 innings pitched.