Yusei Kikuchi To Occasionally Serve As Opener
6 years agoSeattle Mariners starting pitcher Yusei Kikuchi will pitch one inning every fifth start or so as an opener as the team looks for ways to limit Kikuchi's innings in his rookie season. The Mariners will likely call up one of their young starting candidates like Justus Sheffield or Erik Swanson to follow Kikuchi in those outings. The Japanese left-hander looked sharp in his MLB debut last Thursday against the A's, but the Mariners will baby him a bit in 2019. The 27-year-old is expected to start against in the second game of the upcoming series against the Red Sox. A potential innings limit could cap his upside in his first year, but Kikuchi should have value in mixed leagues nevertheless.
Source: MLB.com - Greg Johns
Source: MLB.com - Greg Johns