At last, the call to Max Meyer. What should Marlins fans expect from talented young ace?

Patience is paying off for the Miami Marlins.

Rather than overreact when they were eight games under .500 a few weeks ago, or make hasty roster moves, the Marlins stayed the course.

By doing so, they will head into the All-Star Break after this weekend within striking distance of the third and final National League wild card spot.

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It’s certainly been a bumpy first half for the Marlins, and with the All-Star Break about to begin, here are The Palm Beach Post’s five takeaways.

At last, the call to Max Meyer

Since early in the season, it wasn’t about if the call would come for Max Meyer, it was a matter of when. Well, now is the time.

Late Thursday night, the Marlins took to social media to send out a video of Meyer being informed he was being promoted to the big leagues from Triple-A Jacksonville. The 23-year-old is expected to make his big-league debut with a start on Saturday against the Philadelphia Phillies at loanDepot park.

The announcement is welcome news to a fan base that has been calling for Meyer’s promotion. We often see prospects rushed. In the case of Meyer, the organization gave him plenty of time to develop.

It’s also worth noting that he went on the minor league injured list on May 19 with ulnar nerve irritation, and he missed a little more than a month.

At Jacksonville, Meyer was 3-4 with a 3.69 ERA in 13 starts. In 61 innings, he has 69 strikeouts.

Ranked by MLB Pipeline as Miami’s No. 2 prospect, Meyer also is ranked 21st overall on their Top 100 list. The Marlins selected Meyer third overall from the University of Minnesota in the 2020 MLB draft.

What should fans expect?

Meyer is fiercely competitive. He played hockey growing up. He has a fastball in the 95-97 mph range, and has touched 100 mph. His slider has been his out pitch, and he’s been developing a change-up.

Make it an All-Star trio with Garrett Cooper

Miami will be well-represented at the All-Star Game Tuesday at Dodger Stadium. Garrett Cooper has been selected as the club’s third player picked to the National League squad.

Cooper got the nod to replace Philadelphia Phillies slugger Bryce Harper, who won the fan vote for the designated hitter. But Harper is on the injured list and won’t be available.

That created the opportunity for Cooper to be picked as a DH reserve. Cooper joins ace Sandy Alcantara and second baseman Jazz Chisholm Jr. It’s the first time the Marlins have had as many as three All-Stars since 2016 — Marcell Ozuna, Jose Fernandez, A.J. Ramos and Fernando Rodney.

In an inconsistent lineup, Cooper has been a steady performer. Heading into the weekend series with the Phillies, he was batting .295 with seven home runs, 40 RBIs and a .818 OPS.

When healthy, Cooper has been productive. Still, in a twist of fate, on the day he was named to the All-Star team, Cooper suffered a bruise after fouling a ball off his left knee, limiting his action in recent days.

Star of tomorrow in Eury Perez

Dodger Stadium will be the epicenter of Major League Baseball next week. But the stars of tomorrow will take the field today in the Sirius XM All-Star Futures Game.

The prospect Marlins fans should be excited to see is rangy, right-hander Eury Perez. The 19-year-old is Miami’s top prospect, and he will represent the organization in the Futures Game.

The real deal, Perez is the Marlins’ best pitching prospect since the late Jose Fernandez, a two-time All-Star and the National League Rookie of the Year in 2013.

Listed at 6-foot-8, 220-pounds, Perez is dominating at Double-A Pensacola, with a 3-1 record and 3.05 ERA. With a fastball that’s topped 100 mph, Perez has 87 strikeouts in 62 innings.

A veteran MLB scout told The Palm Beach Post Perez is the best 19-year-old pitching prospect he’s ever seen. Making the jump to the big leagues this year is unlikely, but Perez is expected to be MLB-ready sometime in 2023.

Sticking with Jesus Sanchez in center field

One player who personifies the unpredictability of the Marlins’ first half is center fielder Jesus Sanchez.

Like the team itself, Sanchez has so much potential. Yet, he hasn’t been able to reveal it consistently. So what do you do?

Those wanting instant gratification scream for Sanchez to either be benched or sent down to Jacksonville.

For those who see the untapped talent and understand things can click for young players at any time, push for Sanchez to stay in the lineup.

Nick Fortes is a fourth-round bargain

The Marlins pick sixth overall in Sunday’s MLB draft. Some mocks link Miami to Georgia Tech catcher Kevin Parada.

We say, not so fast.

No knock on Parada, who has the makings of being a big league regular, but taking catching that high is risky. The Marlins made that mistake in 2008 when they selected Kyle Skipworth sixth overall.

Skipworth was the second catcher taken in that draft. The other was Buster Posey, picked fifth out of Florida State.

Posey, who retired after last season, had a Hall of Fame-worthy career. Skipworth had four MLB plate appearances in four games without a hit in 2013.

The point being, the Marlins can find a catcher in the later rounds. J.T. Realmuto was a third-round selection in 2010. And in 2018, Nick Fortes was a fourth-rounder from the University of Mississippi.

Fortes is pushing Jacob Stallings for playing time now and has been Miami’s best offensive catcher.

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Max Meyer: What to expect from Marlins' exciting prospect