Valdez allowed one run on one hit while striking out two and walking none over two innings in Tuesday's spring game against the Mets.
Valdez needed just 24 pitches to get through his two innings. His lone mistake was a hanging breaking ball that Jeff McNeil deposited over the right-field wall. Valdez is coming off a strong season, one in which he found control and pitched a league high 94.2 innings, including the postseason. The challenge will be to maintain his effectiveness over the grind of 30 starts. The left-hander is slotted in as the No. 3 starter behind Zack Greinke and Lance McCullers.