Marlins' Volquez gets Opening Day nod
The Miami Marlins have named journeyman pitcher Edinson Volquez as their Opening Day starter, according to Joe Frisaro of MLB.com.
Volquez becomes the sixth different pitcher in as many years to start the Marlins' opener. He signed a two-year, $22-million contract with Miami in December following two seasons with the Kansas City Royals.
The Marlins are Volquez's seventh major-league team as he enters his 13th season. He last pitched in the National League with the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2014, going 13-7 with a 3.04 ERA that season before leaving for the Royals, where results were more mixed.
Dan Straily, Tom Koehler, and Wei-Yin Chen will follow Volquez in the rotation, while the final spot has yet to be announced. Frisaro further reports that one of Adam Conley, Jose Urena, and Justin Nicolino is likely to round out the group.
All three options spent time with the Marlins in 2016, with left-hander Conley being the most active. He pitched 133 1/3 innings over 25 starts with a 3.85 ERA.
The Marlins open the regular season on April 3 on the road against the Washington Nationals.