Arizona Diamondbacks pitching prospect Trevor Bauer will make his major league debut Thursday, reports Jack MacGruder of FOX Sports. Bauer will start against the Braves in the place of the injured Joe Saunders, who hit the disabled list Saturday with left shoulder inflammation.

The 21-year-old Bauer, the third overall pick out of UCLA in 2011, has rocketed through the D-Back's minor league system, putting up outstanding numbers at each level. In 16 starts between Double-A and Triple-A this season, Bauer is 11-1 with a 2.23 ERA, striking out 116 batters in just 93 innings of work.

Largely in the media shadow of teammate Gerrit Cole while at UCLA, the young righty has attracted a lot of attention recently because of his unique workouts and knowledge of biomechanics, in addition to his eye-popping numbers.

The Diamondbacks have held Bauer to a strict pitch count this season, rarely letting him break 100 pitches in an outing. Nothing has been said on the subject but one would imagine the pitch limit will remain in Arizona.