Manager Terry Francona said Monday that Clevinger will open the season in the rotation, Paul Hoynes of the Cleveland Plain Dealer reports. "Danny (Salazar) is not going to be ready," Francona said. "We're looking for (Clevinger) to have a big year. He's strong, and he should be able to be that innings-eater type of pitcher."
The skipper erased any doubt about Clevinger's status after the right-hander struck out six over three scoreless innings against the Dodgers on Monday. That leaves Josh Tomlin and Ryan Merritt to battle it out for the final rotation spot over the remainder of camp. Clevinger has battled control issues throughout his pro career, but he's held opponents to a .221 average at the big-league level while striking out a quarter of the batters he's faced. Look for his price to tick up from here.