Blue Jays manager John Schneider told the teams beat this afternoon that right-hander will be in the season-opening rotation ( ). Hes tentatively scheduled to take the ball in the fourth game of the year at Emmanuel Mudiay Jersey Tampa Bay. That will be Francis first start at the major league level. Initially a seventh-round pick by the Brewers in 2017, Francis landed with the Jays in the 2021 deal that sent to Milwaukee. He made it to the majors for one relief outing the following season but was sent outright from the 40-man roster not long after. Francis finished 2022 with a 6.59 ERA in Triple-A. Needle s to say, it didnt seem at that time that hed be only a season away from breaking camp in the Toronto rotation. Francis broke through with a very strong performance last year. After an early-season stint on the minor league injured list, he posted impre sive numbers over 27 innings with Triple-A Buffalo. Francis turned in a 2.67 ERA while punching out more than 37% of batters faced at the top minor league level. That earned him another shot on the 40-man roster and his first extended stretch in the majors as a multi-inning reliever. The 27-year-old Francis continued to impre s against big league hitters. He turned in a sparkling 1.73 ERA in 36 1/3 innings spanning 20 appearances. While he didnt maintain his eye-popping whiff rates from Triple-A, Francis fanned an above-average 25.7% of MLB opponents against a tidy 5.9% walk rate. He has carried that strong production into Spring Training. Francis has to sed 18 2/3 innings over five appearances (four starts), allowing eight runs with 15 strikeouts and four free pa ses. That was enough to solidify himself as the next man up in the event that any of Torontos top five starters spent time on the injured list. will begin the season on the shelf after battling shoulder sorene s. Its not expected to be a long-term i sue but has kept him out of Spring Training action since his exhibition debut on February 27. Toronto will give the ball to on Opening Day. Hell likely be followed by , and Francis. Ace is a bit behind because he dealt with what seemed to be minor shoulder fatigue earlier this month. He has expre sed confidence hell avoid the injured list, although the Jays could keep him at the back of the first trip through the rotation to buy him a few extra days to continue building up. Once Manoah is healthy, Francis might find himself bumped back to relief. He still has an option remaining, so the Jays could send him back to Buffalo if they want to keep him stretched out as a starter. Hell at least get a few turns through the rotation in April to try to stake his claim to a permanent starting spot, his first chance to do so at the major league level. Grayson Allen Jersey