The A's officially released their Opening Day 25-man roster Wednesday for the 2018 season.
While there are no huge surprises, we did get an answer to the position battle in center field, with Boog Powell getting the nod over Dustin Fowler, who will start the season at Triple-A Nashville.
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Fowler missed almost all of last season with the Yankees after suffering a season-ending knee injury in his major Llague debut. It makes sense that he would start the season in Triple-A, where he will have an opportunity to shake off some rust and continue to gain confidence at the plate.
A's manager Bob Melvin has said that he would prefer that option for Fowler, rather than having to send him down after a slow start at the big league level. Expect to see the talented young outfielder back with the A's later this season.
Fellow outfielder Jake Smolinski made the Opening Day roster and will back up Powell in center field. Meanwhile, Mark Canha will begin the season in Nashville, despite a gaudy .362 batting average and four home runs this spring. Smolinski's ability to play center ultimately made the difference there.
As expected, the A's will go with an eight-man bullpen, with veteran right-hander Santiago Casilla making the squad, despite a 10.80 ERA this spring. Frankie Montas was optioned to Nashville and Raúl Alcántara was outrighted there after clearing waivers.
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Veteran pitcher Trevor Cahill will begin the season in Triple-A, but he probably won't be there for long. Once he is stretched out to start, he will likely join the A's rotation, which is extremely thin following injuries to Jharel Cotton, A.J. Puk, and Paul Blackburn.
Blackburn will start the season on the 10-day disabled list, along with Ryan Dull, Josh Phegley, and Renato Núñez, while Cotton is on the 60-day DL.