Minor allowed one run on three hits and a walk while striking out 11 over five innings in a minor-league intrasquad game Friday, T.R. Sullivan of MLB.com reports. The lefty threw 70 pitches and struck out the last seven batters faced.

EDGE Analysis

Spring games against minor leaguers aren't predictive of success in the regular season, but Minor is looking like he'll have a spot in the Rangers' rotation in 2018, four years after he made his last MLB start for Atlanta. He said he feels a significant difference between now and 2016, when he was with the Royals and attempted to come back following surgery on his left shoulder. "I knew, early in the spring, that I felt different than two years ago," Minor said. "Just the progress I was making. Last time, when I got to 4-5 innings, I didn't throw as many strikes, the ball was up, couldn't throw breaking balls. Today I controlled a lot of that." Friday's effort comes after Minor threw four scoreless against the Athletics last Saturday. Manager Jeff Banister said Cole Hamels, Doug Fister and Matt Moore will start the first three games of the season, which means Minor will be one of the rotation's back-end starters.