The Miami Marlins are second in the National League East and are far behind the Atlanta Braves. Still, their hot start has been surprising, and young pitcher Eury Perez has made the jump to the big leagues pretty easily. However, in a surprising move, the Marlins are sending him down to the minors, per Craig Mish.

‘Marlins have informed Pitcher Eury Perez he is being optioned to the minor leagues today. Perez dazzled in his time with the club. He is not being shut down. The plan for him is to go to the minors, and continue to throw. Clearly this is being done to limit his workload for a potential call-up later in the season. There is no definitive time set on that.'

It's a stunning decision by Miami, especially with Perez posting a 5-3 record with a 2.36 ERA in 11 appearances at the big leagues and a 1.09 WHIP. After getting called up in May, he has dazzled with the team, and the excitement and hype are brewing. Last time out, he went six innings and gave up just one run, but the outing before that, the Atlanta Braves tagged him for six runs and seven hits in just 1/3 of an inning.

Perez turned 20 in April, so he still has a long career ahead of him. But the Marlins are clearly planning to limit his workload as they set their sights on a playoff push toward the end of the season. It will be interesting to see how long the Marlins keep him down for, especially with the way he has been throwing the ball.