Astros' Collin McHugh: Stretching out as starter

McHugh will be stretched out as a starter this spring, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.

Although the Astros acquired Gerrit Cole earlier this offseason, the club would still like to give McHugh an opportunity to carve out a spot in the rotation. He's likely battling Charlie Morton for that fifth spot, with the odd man out taking on a role in the bullpen to start off the 2018 campaign. Last season, McHugh started 12 games after dealing with a right elbow impingement early on in the year, and posted a 3.55 ERA and 1.29 WHIP with a 62:20 K:BB over 63.1 innings.