Flaherty will serve as the Cardinals' second pitcher in Saturday's exhibition opener versus the Marlins, Jenifer Langosch of MLB.com reports.
Miles Mikolas will get the starting nod, but both he and Flaherty are expected to cover around 40 pitches apiece as the Cardinals ease both hurlers into their first competitive action in 2019. The two pitchers likely represent the leading candidates to earn the Opening Day start, especially with one established rotation option (Carlos Martinez) already sidelined by a shoulder injury early in camp. Flaherty was excellent in his first year as a full-time starter for St. Louis in 2018, accruing a 3.34 ERA, 1.11 WHIP and 10.8 K/9 over 28 outings.