Former No. 1 overall draft pick Casey Mize will open the season in the Detroit Tigers' starting rotation, manager A.J. Hinch announced Friday.
The 23-year-old right-hander has struggled with his command for most of the spring, compiling a 1-2 record and an 8.36 ERA with 21 strikeouts, 10 walks and four homers allowed in 14 innings.
Mize likely clinched the rotation spot with his performance Thursday against the Toronto Blue Jays. He allowed five hits and two earned runs in four innings, striking out nine and walking none. He threw 55 strikes on 72 pitches.
Mize, the top pick in 2018 out of Auburn, made his big-league debut last August and went 0-3 with a 6.99 ERA in seven starts.
He fills out a five-man rotation that includes Opening Day starter Matthew Boyd, Julio Teheran, Tarik Skubal and Jose Urena.
Hinch also confirmed that right-hander Michael Fulmer and left-hander Derek Holland will make the 40-man roster.
Fulmer, the 2016 American League Rookie of the Year and a 2017 All-Star, will pitch out of the bullpen. The 28-year-old has been a starter in all 85 of his previous appearances with the Tigers, posting a 24-33 record with a 4.09 ERA.
Holland, 34, pitched for Pittsburgh last season and owns a 79-81 record with a 4.61 ERA and 1,190 strikeouts in 307 games (227 starts) with the Texas Rangers (2009-16), Chicago White Sox (2017), San Francisco Giants (2018-19), Chicago Cubs (2019) and Pirates.
--Field Level Media