PEARL — Hurston Waldrep left Mississippi as a pitcher on the rise, and is returning as a top major league prospect.

Waldrep, who was drafted in the first round by the Atlanta Braves in July, was promoted to the Double-A Mississippi Braves on Tuesday.

The Georgia native played two seasons at Southern Miss before transferring to Florida and helping the Gators to the College World Series championship round. The Braves selected him 24th overall in the 2023 MLB draft and he’s quickly moving up in the organization.

Waldrep has a 1.20 ERA with 25 strikeouts to six walks in one start for Single-A Augusta and three for High-A Rome. In his final Rome start on Aug. 26, he struck out 10 and walked none over 4 2/3 innings, giving up two unearned runs on three hits.

According to MLB Pipeline, Waldrep is ranked as the No.2 prospect for the Braves.

It was not announced when Waldrep would make his first start for the Mississippi Braves. The team began its final homestand of the season on Tuesday night. It will play Rocket City in a six-game series that continues through Sunday, and then another six-game series vs. Tennessee from Sept. 5-11.