Sat 2/23/19 11:18 AM

Manager Mike Shildt said Saturday that Mikolas would serve as the Cardinals' starter for the team's regular-season opener March 28 versus the Brewers, Jenifer Langosch of MLB.com reports.
EDGE Analysis
Shildt made the announcement just hours before Mikolas was scheduled to take the hill for the Cardinals' Grapefruit League opener in Miami. The selection of Mikolas doesn't come as much of a surprise after the right-hander performed brilliantly in his return to North America in 2018 after a detour in Japan, compiling a 2.83 ERA across 200.2 innings. Per Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, general manager Mike Girsch also noted that it's a possibility the Cardinals will reach an extension with Mikolas prior to the regular season. Mikolas will be headed for free agency next winter while he finishes out the final season of his two-year, $15.5 million contract.