CINCINNATI -- Bronson Arroyo is set to make his first big league start since 2014 when the Reds host St. Louis, the Associated Press reported Friday.
The veteran's return to the roster wasn't set in stone when John Fay talked to Reds manager Bryan Price Monday, but Price said the team was "real happy" with Arroyo's performance Sunday in a simulated game against minor leaguers and added "(Arroyo) hasn’t done anything that would deter us from thinking he’d make that start.”
Now it's official: Arroyo will be the team's starting pitcher in its Saturday game against the Cardinals, returning to a major league starting rotation for the first time since Tommy John and shoulder surgery took him out of the game in 2014.
He's been traded to the Braves, Dodgers and Nationals since then, but rejoining the Reds was special, he said in February.
"I'm finally throwing pain-free for the first time honestly since I had surgery," he said.
There were some caveats to Price's profession of faith in Arroyo as a starter -- "It’s not an arm that has a ton of innings piled on it the last two years,” he said -- but not enough to keep him off the mound.
The Reds will face the Cardinals at Busch Stadium starting at 2:15 p.m. Satuday.
