Astros' Brady Rodgers: Will start Sunday

Rodgers will be the starting pitcher Sunday against the Braves in Lake Buena Vista (Fla.), Brian McTaggart of the Astros' official site reports.

Analysis:

Rodgers had a nice bounce-back season at Triple-A Fresno that earned him Pitcher of the Year honors in the Pacific Coast League in 2016. On the surface, it would appear the 26-year-old right-hander is ready to compete for the final available spot in the Astros' rotation, but his mediocre stuff didn't play very well in a five-game stint in the majors last September. Notionally, he's in the mix for the final rotation spot, but is well behind Joe Musgrove, Mike Fiers, Chris Devenski and Brad Peacock in the pecking order.