Gillispie appears to have an inside track to head into Opening Day as the Marlins' No. 5 starter with Edward Cabrera (finger) likely to begin the season on the injured list, Stephen Strom of Marlins Radio Network reports.

EDGE Analysis

Sandy Alcantara, Ryan Weathers, Cal Quantrill and Max Meyer are locked into spots in the Opening Day rotation, and with Cabrera dealing with a blister and Valente Bellozo and Adam Mazur having already been optioned to Triple-A Jacksonville, Gillispie appears to be the only starting candidate on the 40-man roster still left in big-league camp. The 27-year-old right-hander made his MLB debut in 2024 as a reliever with Cleveland, but he started in 15 of his 27 appearances at Triple-A Columbus last season, logging a 4.05 ERA, 1.24 WHIP and 119:48 K:BB in 113.1 innings. He's fared well over his first four outings of the spring with Miami, having yet to allow a hit while issuing one walk and striking out four over eight scoreless innings. Gillispie is scheduled to start Tuesday's Grapefruit League game against the Cardinals, and another strong showing could be enough to solidify his spot in the rotation.