Paul Skenes does seemingly everything fast, whether it’s throwing a baseball or sprinting through the minor leagues.

Establishing himself as a legitimate major league ace has been no different.

It’s taken all of 10 starts for the Pittsburgh Pirates rookie with the 100 mph fastball and trademark mustache to become appointment viewing.

“Obviously, every time he pitches, you know it’s a big day,” New York Mets manager Carlos Mendoza said Friday afternoon a few hours before his team faced Skenes for the first time.

The 22-year-old then went out and overpowered the Mets, improving to 5-0 after throwing seven occasionally dominant innings in a 14-2 victory.

He’s been in the majors less than two months, yet he certainly looks the part of an All-Star, maybe even this year.

The pitching rosters for the Midsummer Classic will be revealed on Sunday. The idea of Skenes facing Aaron Judge, Juan Soto and the rest of the American League lineup has crossed his mind once or twice.

“I’d love to be there,” he said. “But it’s obviously not my decision to make.”

Rays’ Franco still faces legal repercussions

Wander Franco still faces legal repercussions from prosecutors in the Dominican Republic for allegations that he had a relationship with a 14-year-old girl.

The deadline for the prosecutors to press charges against the shortstop for the Tampa Bay Rays was July 5, six months after a judge ordered Franco to be investigated for committing sexual and psychological abuse of the minor.

Franco was released from prison on parole.

The law in the Dominican Republic allows a judge the power to grant an extra 10-days for the prosecutors and victims to present their conclusions.

In those 10 days, the prosecutors will be able to formulate their accusation, request that the case be closed or withdraw the charges, and the victims can dismiss their accusation or continue with it.

According to prosecutors, Franco paid the girl’s mother thousands of dollars to consent to the relationship, which lasted four months. The girl’s mother is also charged in the case and remains under house arrest. The AP is not releasing the woman’s name to preserve her daughter’s privacy.

Franco is under administrative leave by Major League Baseball and the player’s association through July 14.

Tampa Bay’s All-Star shortstop has not played since Aug. 12 while MLB continues its investigation into an alleged relationship with a minor.

Briefly

Mariners >> Seattle Mariners center fielder Julio Rodríguez was removed from Saturday’s game against the Toronto Blue Jays in the first inning due to discomfort in his right quadriceps.

Yankees >> Ben Rice became the first Yankees rookie to homer three times in a game on Saturday.

Mets >> All-Star closer Edwin Diaz returned to the New York Mets on Saturday and got the save after completing his 10-game suspension from Major League Baseball for having a foreign substance on his pitching hand.

Cubs >> Chicago starter Kyle Hendricks exited after two innings against the Los Angeles Angels on Saturday because of low back tightness.