LAKELAND, Fla. — The Detroit Tigers have named a starting pitcher for the first game of the Grapefruit League schedule.

It's Reese Olson.

Olson, a 24-year-old right-hander, will take the mound to start Saturday against the New York Yankees. The game is scheduled for 1:05 p.m. at Joker Marchant Stadium in Lakeland, Florida.

"We're really trying to get through live (batting practices)," Tigers manager A.J. Hinch said. "We're kind of sprinkling the guys in. Maybe they want a second one if they're not satisfied, or if we're not satisfied. That's why we're being pretty slow at drawing up exactly what we're going to do."

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Right-hander Alex Faedo, who split time between the Tigers' rotation and bullpen last season, will start Sunday against the Tampa Bay Rays at Charlotte Sports Park in Port Charlotte, Florida.

For Saturday's spring opener, right-hander Mason Englert and left-hander Brant Hurter are slated to pitch after Olson, who registered a 3.99 ERA with 33 walks and 103 strikeouts across 103⅔ innings in 21 games last season.

As for Sunday's game, right-hander Keider Montero has been tabbed to pitch after Faedo's start. Right-hander Beau Brieske is expected to pitch at some point over the weekend.

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"A lot of these guys will get into the rotation that is like a starter, meaning they pitch a game, then they will throw their bullpen, and then they will throw again like a five-day rotation," Hinch said. "This first time around, there are a couple of guys that were in the bullpen last year, like Brieske or Englert, that may only get three days of rest, but we'll start to build volume.

"We're looking to try to get everybody in a game by the beginning of March, but there's not a huge rush getting started. It's not a big rush to get into the exact rotation until after the off days."

The Tigers have off days March 6 and March 18.

Early bad news

Hinch already informed three prospects — right-hander Jackson Jobe, right-hander Ty Madden and infielder Jace Jung — that they won't make the 2024 Opening Day roster.

Jung, 23, will continue to focus on his development third base and his hitting mechanics with the big-league coaches in spring training. If he performs in Triple-A Toledo, he could join the Tigers for his MLB debut at the end of the 2024 season.

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Hinch explained his reasoning for delivering early bad news.

"For him to really address the things we want him and not waste two or three weeks trying to impress us," Hinch said of Jung. "What will impress us is what you soak up with all of these players and how you immediately attack some of the setup, or the way we connect strength and conditioning to the batting cage.

"On the mound, we're not talking about throwing velocity, we're talking about executing pitches with Jackson. It's just being very transparent with why they're here, not to demolish the dreams of them or the fans. We all love that they're here, but rather than not bring them to make it obvious that they're not going to make the team, we're going to bring them and then give them a clear path to development."

Contact Evan Petzold at epetzold@freepress.com or follow him @EvanPetzold.

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This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit Tigers' Reese Olson to start Grapefruit League opener Saturday