DUNEDIN, Fla. – Kevin Gausman is planning to start the Toronto Blue Jays’ spring training finale Monday against the Pittsburgh Pirates, a step that should set him up for his first turn in the rotation during the regular season.

The ace right-hander emerged from an encouraging side session Saturday feeling good and will make the trip to Bradenton, Fla., to throw “three innings, 55 pitches and go from there,” he said Sunday morning. 

“I want to get in a game and get used to everything,” he added, “clock, PitchCom, check those boxes before the season is about to start.”

Barring a surprise, that positions Gausman to start on the back-end of the rotation’s first turn. Had he not experienced some shoulder soreness earlier in camp he would have been the club’s opening day starter, but Jose Berrios will handle those duties instead, followed by Chris Bassitt and Yusei Kikuchi, manager John Schneider said last week.

Bowden Francis is tentatively slated to handle the finale of the season-opening four-game series at the Tampa Bay Rays, setting up Gausman for the series opener at Houston. He’d likely have 65-70 pitches for a start after Monday and the Blue Jays could progressively stretch him out from there.

“I think we can easily build up over the first two,” he said.

Gausman’s positive progression likely eliminates the need for another starter and helps further define the Blue Jays’ initial roll-out on the pitching side, although with closer Jordan Romano and set-up man Erik Swanson unlikely to be ready, they still have decisions to make.

They may very well opt to add length to support long man Mitch White as Gausman builds up and Francis transitions to the rotation.