Just a few months after winning its first Ivy League baseball championship in more than 30 years, Columbia will send its first player to the Major Leagues in more than a decade.

Fernando Perez, CC ’04, an outfielder with the Tampa Bay Rays organization, was recalled to the Rays from Triple-A Durham late Sunday night.

Because he was called up prior to the roster expansion deadline, Perez will be eligible for postseason play should the Rays maintain their position at the top of the American League East.

Coming out of high school, Perez was a highly touted prospect who received offers from several top baseball programs. Perez chose Columbia because of the emphasis he placed on education in choosing which college he would attend.

He was named to the All-Ivy League second team in 2004, and after being drafted in the seventh round of the First-Year Player Draft in 2004 by the Rays, Perez rose quickly through the system. He was named the player of the year for two different Class A teams before reaching the Double-A level in 2007.

After another strong year, Perez was promoted to the Triple-A Durham Bulls this season, where he hit .288, scored 86 runs, stole 43 bases, and hit 11 triples. Perez’s speed earned him the nickname “Mr. Excitement.”

Perez will don a Major League uniform for the first time on Tuesday as the Rays take on the New York Yankees at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Fla. at 7:10 p.m. ET.