Red Sox's Henry Owens: Will start Grapefruit League opener

Owens has been named the starter for Friday's game against the Mets, Rob Bradford of WEEI.com reports.

Analysis:

Owens will turn 25 during the 2017 season, so time is slipping away for the former top pitching prospect. The tall left-hander has struggled to consistently command his fastball, as evidenced by his 8.2 BB/9 in 22 innings for Boston in 2016. He was the first one to get a call-up to start for Boston last season, but that may not be the case in 2017. Brian Johnson, Roenis Elias and former major-leaguer Kyle Kendrick will also be considered should Boston need an emergency fill-in starter.