The Cleveland Indians have the trio of Shane Bieber, Zach Plesac, and Aaron Civale atop the starting rotation.
After that there is some flexibility.
The team doesn’t need a fifth starter for a few weeks thanks to a slew of off-days.
That has Logan Allen and Triston McKenzie competing for time at the backend of the rotation.
Cal Quantrill may also get back into that mix as well, but remains in the bullpen for now.
We already knew Allen would be pitching in Monday’s home opener.
The team announced Saturday that he would indeed be starting in the game as well.
Logan Allen will get the start for the Indians' home opener on Monday.
— Mandy Bell (@MandyBell02) April 3, 2021
The 23-year-old now has a huge opportunity to prove he belongs in the rotation all season.
Logan Allen Getting a Huge Opportunity
Allen’s first start with the Indians will come in the 2021 home opener.
No pressure.
The left-handed pitcher came over from the San Diego Padres in the blockbuster Trevor Bauer deal back in 2019.
He immediately became a top prospect in the system and is still very young.
Allen is only a few months older than McKenzie.
The southpaw did get some limited action in 2020, but still only made three appearances.
Monday will be his first true test in an Indians uniform.
The main problem based on how the season has started may be run support more than anything else.
That is the hardest thing to come by through the first two games of the season.
Starting Rotation Remains a Fluid Situation
Bieber, Plesac, and Civale are going to hold down their spots all season.
Allen getting the fourth start should mean he is in great shape to hold his spot as well.
Logan Allen, Triston McKenzie and Cal Quantrill have all made Cleveland's Opening Day roster. Quantrill will start out in the bullpen. They're still working out how they'll deploy Allen/McKenzie (maybe piggybacking).
— Zack Meisel (@ZackMeisel) March 28, 2021
McKenzie may be the one ending up in a bit of a competition with Quantrill, if the latter shows enough to get another starting shot.
This resembles much of the roster at the start of the 2021 season.
Competitions remain and the front office has a ton of young talent, seeing who will rise to the top.
This is how the team has found the current stars of the rotation.
Bieber was given a shot to succeed and is now the ace after a few short years in Cleveland.
Plesac and Civale are now looking to take that next step, while Allen and McKenzie want to follow in similar footsteps as well.
What fans need on Monday is a win.
Allen is young and may struggle at times throughout the season.
He needs the offense to wake up and provide some support, or fans are going to grow restless in the first game back at Progressive Field.
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