MINNEAPOLIS -- Jordan Balazovic, after parts of seven Minor League seasons, was on the precipice of finally making his MLB debut for the Minnesota Twins.

But much like his career to this point, Balazovic had to wait to see if he’d be in the Majors.

The Twins brought Balazovic, their No. 20 prospect, back from Triple-A St. Paul’s series in Louisville, Ky., on Saturday. He arrived back in Minnesota and wasn’t sure whether he would be activated.

About an hour before Sunday’s game against the Detroit Tigers, Balazovic got the call and hurried to Target Field. He eventually made his MLB debut with 3 2/3 strong innings in Minnesota’s 6-4 loss to Detroit. He was not charged with a run.

“Still hasn’t sunk in, honestly,” Balazovic said after the game. “Still trying to take my time throughout the day, but yeah, it’s unreal. It’s what you work for, you know? So, couldn’t be happier.”

Twins fans have also been waiting for Balazovic. The 6-foot-5 right-hander had been a regular on the organization’s top prospects lists. A 2016 fifth-round Draft pick from Mississauga, Ontario, Balazovic debuted for the organization in 2016 for the team’s Rookie-level Gulf Coast League team.

After a 2018 season in which he went 7-3 with a 3.94 ERA for Single-A Cedar Rapids, Balazovic was named the team’s No. 19 prospect by MLB Pipeline before the 2019 season. He was 8-5 with a 2.69 ERA and 129 strikeouts in 93 2/3 innings in two Minor League stops in 2019, and was named to the American League roster for the SiriusXM All-Star Futures Game.

MLB Pipeline then named him the team’s No. 4 prospect and the top pitching prospect in the organization. He also appeared on MLB Pipeline’s Top 100 list: he landed in the No. 86 slot before the 2020 season, and No. 97 on the 2021 preseason list.

But after COVID-19 wiped out the 2020 Minor League season, injuries started to take their toll. Back and knee injuries were the first blows.

Balazovic made 20 starts for Double-A Wichita in 2021, posting a 3.62 ERA and 102 strikeouts in 97 innings. But at Triple-A last season, he struggled to the tune of an 0-7 mark and a 7.39 ERA.

“It’s been a long road,” Balazovic said Sunday. “You work towards it, and I’m just thankful it paid off. Keep working and keep building off it.”

Coming into Spring Training this year, he sustained a broken jaw in an off-field altercation that he described as an unprovoked attack from a stranger in downtown Fort Myers, Fla. The injury required that his jaw be wired shut. Once the top pitching prospect in the organization, MLB Pipeline had him as the club’s No. 21 prospect entering the year.

Once he recovered, he was 1-1 with a 4.79 ERA in 14 games (three starts) for St. Paul.

“Yeah, he’s had to kind of work his way back into being the pitcher that he’s capable of being, and he’s done a good job with that,” Twins manager Rocco Baldelli said. “I think he knows what he has to do in order to be ready to go pitch in the big leagues and pitch well. He’s honing himself in a little bit, and he looked sharp today.”

Balazovic relieved Louie Varland in the fifth inning with runners on first and second and one out. He gave up an RBI single before settling in to retire the final two hitters in the frame. He earned his first Major League strikeout an inning later by getting Spencer Torkelson looking.

He surrendered just two hits and a walk, and struck out two.

“If you just kind of watch the game today, this is kind of the way he’s been throwing the ball there too,” Baldelli said of reports on Balazovic from Triple-A. “He’s looked good. I’ve had numerous people come to me over the last month or so and pop in, and his name will come up. He’s been on our minds, and a guy we’ve been following closely. We know his potential, but he’s turning some of that potential into production on a game-by-game basis.”

His parents weren’t in the stands as he made his debut on Father’s Day, but he had called them earlier in the day to tell them that he was officially headed to the Major Leagues.

“They’re not here, but I couldn’t ask for a better Father’s Day gift for him,” Balazovic said. “Yeah, it’s an awesome day.”