Minor is scheduled to start the fourth game of the season, April 1, at home against the Astros.

EDGE Analysis

Minor will be making his first start since 2014 and has pitched only 120 innings since undergoing surgery to repair a torn shoulder labrum in 2015. The Rangers will monitor his workload early on and, given the limited count of innings the last four years, those considering Minor should understand he may not be a starter deep into the season.

Minor, who is a starter for the first time since 2014, will be given an extra day of rest at least through April, Gerry Fraley of the Dallas Morning News reports.

EDGE Analysis

Since 2014, when Minor with the Braves, he's undergone surgery to repair a torn shoulder labrum and pitched a total of 120 innings in the majors and minors combined. You can see why manager Jeff Banister and the organization want to manage the left-hander's innings. That will require some manipulation of the rotation, possibly the introduction of spot starter for some turns of the rotation. Banister does not plan to skip any of Minor's turns or give him too much rest between starts.

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.

Minor allowed one hit and struck out two over four scoreless innings in Saturday's start against Oakland.

EDGE Analysis

Minor needed just 48 pitches to get through those four innings, the first Ranger pitcher to go four innings this spring. It was an efficient effort that should help his transition from reliever to starter. The right-hander has thrown just 77.2 innings since 2015 due to a shoulder injury. He's currently slated at the back end of Texas' six-man rotation, so the Rangers aren't expecting 200 innings out of him.

Rangers manager Jeff Banister intimated Monday that Minor and Matt Bush are most likely to be impacted by the six-man rotation he plans to deploy in 2018, Jeff Wilson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reports. "Minor and Bush are two guys that they're working on a little different rest period right now," Banister said. "We've got a ways to go. It's pretty fluid right now."

EDGE Analysis

Minor worked exclusively in relief with the Royals in 2017 in his first big-league action in three seasons, but after inking the lefty to a three-year deal in December, the Rangers intend to stretch him out as a starter in his first campaign in Arlington. Bush is making a similar move from the bullpen to the rotation, though the Rangers seem to be more receptive to moving him back to relief if the transition proves fruitless. Whether it's Minor and Bush or Minor and non-roster invitee Bartolo Colon that ultimately round out the Texas rotation, it appears either pair of pitchers will be handed an additional day of rest or more between starts, as Banister stated that Cole Hamels, Doug FIster and Matt Moore will remain on normal pitching schedules, while the same also likely applies to the rehabbing Martin Perez (knee). Minor's fantasy outlook was already foggy given the downturn in effectiveness he was expected to notice in moving from relief to starting duty in addition to calling hitter-friendly Globe Life Park his home park, and the prospect of an inconsistent pitching schedule week to week only further dims his appeal.

The Rangers are still planning on utilizing Minor as a starting pitcher this season even after supplementing their rotation depth with the February additions of Bartolo Colon and Jesse Chavez, T.R. Sullivan of MLB.com reports.

EDGE Analysis

Along with bringing aboard Colon and Chavez as non-roster invitees, the Rangers signed a pair of veteran starters in Doug Fister and Matt Moore (knee) earlier this offseason on major-league deals and will give hard-throwing reliever Matt Bush a shot at winning a spot in a new-look rotation. Like Bush, Minor plied his trade in the bullpen last season, but the 30-year-old lefty has significant experience working out the rotation, as he racked up 110 starts with the Braves from 2010 to 2014 before shoulder issues prompted a move to relief. Of all the offseason rotation imports, the Rangers have the most money invested in Minor, which could afford him a long leash in a starting role even if he loses some velocity and effectiveness while working more innings than he did a season ago.

Minor has reached an agreement with the Rangers and will sign pending a physical, Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports reports.

EDGE Analysis

Minor declined his 2018 option with the Royals, opening up his free agency options. According to SportsDay Dallas' Evan Grant, the 29-year-old will move back into a starting role for the Rangers after working out of the bullpen in Kansas City. He will be a nice boost to a Rangers starting rotation that posted a 4.66 ERA in 2017, which ranked in the bottom half of the MLB.

Minor declined his option with the Royals for the 2018 season, effectively becoming a free agent in the process, Jeffrey Flanagan of MLB.com reports.

EDGE Analysis

Although Flanagan went on to state that the Royals have interest in re-signing Minor as the club's closer, the soon-to-be 30-year-old will have other suiters following a tremendous season out of the bullpen. Minor posted a 2.55 ERA and 1.02 WHIP over 77.2 innings during his first year as a non-starter, and spent the last couple weeks as Kansas City's main closer, saving all six of his opportunities since Sept. 15.

Minor gave up a hit and struck out one in a scoreless ninth inning en route to his sixth save of the season Saturday against the Diamondbacks.

EDGE Analysis

Christian Walker managed to line an 0-2 pitch into left field for a double, but Minor slammed the door on Arizona after that with three outs on seven pitches. In his six save opportunities in September, the southpaw didn't allow a run and produced a strong 8:1 K:BB. He's hoping to return to starting in 2018, but this string of ninth inning appearances certainly boosts his stock if he returns to a relief role in 2018.

Minor fired a scoreless ninth inning en route to his fifth save of the season in Friday's 2-1 win over the Diamondbacks. He walked a batter and struck out two.

EDGE Analysis

Minor has notched saves in each of his last five appearances, firmly cementing himself over Scott Alexander as manager Ned Yost's preferred closing option since Kelvin Herrera was removed from the role earlier in September. While Minor's 2.58 ERA, 1.02 WHIP and 10.2 K/9 over 76.2 innings in 2017 would make him a highly sought reliever when he becomes an unrestricted free agent this offseason, the 29-year-old recently suggested that he's hopeful to return to working as a starter in 2018. He carries a 4.10 ERA over his 110 career starts in the majors, all of which came with the Braves from 2010 to 2014.