PITTSBURGH, Penn. – Former Ranger baseball player Steven Brault's childhood dreams will become a reality as he has gotten the call up to the "bigs." Brault will make his major league debut filling in as the starting pitcher for the Pittsburgh Pirates when they take on the St. Louis Cardinals in Saint Louis on Tuesday, July 5.

The left-handed pitcher is expected to take the place of Pirates starting pitcher Jameson Taillon, who was placed on the 15-day disabled list on Monday. Brault has been playing within the Pirates minor league organization since early 2015, most recently with the Indianapolis Indians.

For the Indians, Brault has pitched in 35 innings boasting a 2.57 ERA and is fifth on the team in strikeouts with 44. Brault was reactivated on June 25 after a minor strained left hamstring injury placed him on the 7-day disabled list and just over a week later received the call from the Pirates.

The California native pitched for Regis from 2011-13 before being drafted in the 11^th round of the 2013 MLB draft by the Baltimore Orioles. In just three seasons for the Rangers, Brault ranks first in most strikeouts in a nine inning game with 9.77 and 12^th in total strikeouts with 164.

His professional debut was made with the Aberdeen IronBirds in Aberdeen, Maryland. He then spent the rest of 2014 with the Delmarva Shorebirds and Frederick Keys. He was acquired by the Pirates via trade with Stephen Tarpley for Travis Snider in February 2015 and started his career with that organization with the Bradenton Marauders. Earlier this year, Brault was invited to join the Pirates in spring training held in Bradenton, Florida where he joined 12 other minor leaguers to compete for a roster spot.

Brault has put in the time and will see his hard work come to fruition in the opening inning on the mound for the Pirates tonight. The Pirates are 42-41 overall and third in the National League Central. To watch Brault and the Pirates, tune into the ESPN at 6:09 PM (MST).