Jeremy Hellickson will kick off the regular season on the mound for his second consecutive Opening Day with the Philadelphia Phillies, as the club has tabbed the right-hander to start against the Cincinnati Reds, according to Jim Salisbury of CSN Philly.
While not exactly a surprising choice, the Phillies weren't short of potential candidates for the April 3 nod, including touted youngsters Aaron Nola and Vince Velasquez. Hellickson, though, is the Phillies' top starter on paper, and is expected to lead the rotation again for 2017. The 29-year-old crafted a 3.71 ERA and 1.15 WHIP in 32 starts last season with Philadelphia.
He signed a $17.2-million qualifying offer to return to Philadelphia in the offseason.