Maeda was officially named as the Dodgers' third starter to kick off the regular season, Bill Plunkett of The Orange County Register reports.
The club had been increasing the veteran's workload all spring in anticipation to start, but there was always the risk that one of the back-end starters could get bumped in favor of the promising Walker Buehler. That scenario was put to rest when the rookie was sent to the minors earlier this week, officially securing a rotation spot for Maeda. The 29-year-old took a step back from his solid rookie season in 2017, posting a 4.22 ERA and receiving a brief demotion to the bullpen. Despite his struggles, he posted a strong 4.1 K/BB ratio, giving him value when he was being used as a starter. The Dodgers' starting pitcher options have dwindled from last year's 10-man pool, but Maeda will still have to carryover his success from the playoffs last season in order to preserve his spot in the rotation once Buehler gets called up.