Cactus League report: Marcus Stroman and Lance Lynn are set to start the Cactus League openers for the Chicago Cubs and White Sox

MESA and GLENDALE, Ariz. — The Cactus League schedule is about to begin with the Chicago Cubs and White Sox both having their exhibition starters in place.

Chicago Tribune baseball writers LaMond Pope, Meghan Montemurro and Paul Sullivan will be providing Cubs and White Sox updates throughout spring training.

The Cubs kick off their exhibition schedule Saturday at Sloan Park, and the right-hander will start against the San Francisco Giants.

Right-hander Adrian Sampson will piggyback Stroman’s start. Stroman will leave Cubs camp early next month to pitch for Team Puerto Rico in the World Baseball Classic. Sampson’s outing Saturday will be his first opportunity to make a strong impression as he competes to win the No. 5 starter job.

Right-handers Hayden Wesneski and Javier Assad are also vying for the rotation spot. Like Stroman, Assad will be departing camp at some point for the WBC, pitching for Team Mexico.

“I’m really happy and really grateful to be called up to play for my country,” Assad said. “It’s something I’ve always wanted to do so to be able to have that opportunity, make sure I give everything I have for it.”

A familiar face was at the Cubs complex Thursday.

After announcing his retirement last month to end a 14-year playing career, Dexter Fowler was in camp as part of Marquee Sports Network, which he joined as an analyst this month. He primarily will be part of pregame and postgame studio coverage.

Manager David Ross got to spend some time golfing with Fowler in the offseason.

“I mean, you can’t go wrong with Dex and that smile, right?” Ross told reporters Thursday. “Like, if he smiles, he’s going to light up the TV. His energy, his personality, he’s going to do a really nice job. I don’t think he needs any pointers from me. … He’s one of those guys that it doesn’t matter how long you haven’t seen them, they light you up and the conversations flow really easy — a brother for life with me.”

Lynn will start for the White Sox in Saturday’s Cactus League opener against the San Diego Padres, manager Pedro Grifol announced Thursday.

Grifol said Lynn will pitch two or three innings in the game at Camelback Ranch. Grifol said Lynn has “been good” this spring.

“He’s pounding the strike zone,” Grifol said. “He’s worked extremely hard. He’s right where he needs to be. He knows his body really well. And he knows what he needs to do to be ready for our first series (of the regular season).”

Lynn is preparing for the season and the upcoming World Baseball Classic. He’s on Team USA along with Sox teammates Tim Anderson and Kendall Graveman.

Grifol anticipates having “six or seven” regulars in Saturday’s lineup. Left fielder Andrew Benintendi and shortstop Elvis Andrus likely won’t play, Grifol said.

“Four guys (in the everyday lineup are) going to the WBC (Anderson, Eloy Jiménez, Luis Robert Jr. and Yoán Moncada), so those guys have to get work in early, get them ready,” Grifol said. “And then when those guys depart, the other guys will be stepping in and carrying the load.”

Graveman also is slated to pitch Saturday for the Sox against the Padres. The reliever is one of the ninth-inning options as closer Liam Hendriks continues his cancer treatment.

Graveman has 16 career saves, six during his first season with the Sox in 2022.

“I told Pedro I couldn’t care any less about a stat,” Graveman said last week. “I want to win baseball games. I’m too old and too long in my career to worry about a stat. For me to rack up saves or holds, it doesn’t matter to me. I just want to get this team to the playoffs.

“At the end of the day, whenever Pedro tells me to go pitch, I told him to his face, I’ll go pitch. We’ll try to hold it down the best we can until we get one of the best in the league (Hendriks) back out there with us.”

A spring training tradition for Chicago baseball was when former Sun-Times baseball writer Joe Goddard stood up in the press box after the first pitch of the exhibition season and shouted: “Won’t this season ever end?” That tradition no doubt will continue Saturday at the White Sox Cactus League opener at Camelback Ranch as an ode to Goddard, who died Feb. 17 at age 85. Goddard, known as “Young Joe,” suffered for several years with Parkinson’s disease but didn’t let it prevent him from enjoying life. A celebration of Goddard’s life was held Thursday in Palos Heights. His wife, Carol, said he watched Cubs and Sox games every day on TV and despite the debilitating disease would sing “Take Me Out to the Ballgame” along with fans.

Feb 24, 1962: Cubs general manager John Holland officially announced a “youth movement” centered around a promising group including Ron Santo, Billy Williams and Lou Brock. “We’re going to go with the kids,” Holland said on the eve of spring training. Tribune beat writer Richard Dozer reported that Holland and the Cubs College of Coaches “seem pretty well assured that they will finish further from the cellar than their seventh-place station last year. But with the league expanding to 10 teams, will they finish any closer to the top? It is this question that spring training should help to answer.” The ‘62 Cubs would finish with a 59-103 record, ending up in ninth place.

Feb, 24, 1972: After committing 26 errors in 68 games at shortstop in his rookie season, many on routine grounders, Lee “Bee Bee” Richard voiced confidence that his fielding difficulties were in the past. “I was trying to be great all at once,” he told Tribune beat writer George Langford. Richard was nicknamed Bee Bee for his strong arm, which was somewhat erratic. Manager Chuck Tanner said Richard’s hands were just fine. “They said Eddie Mathews of the Braves had bad hands in his first season, and look at what he did,” Tanner told Langford. But Richard, the sixth pick of the 1970 draft, committed nine errors in nine spring games in Sarasota, Fla., and the Sox eventually demoted him and went with Rich Morales at short. Richard made 44 errors at short in 96 career games at the position.

“When you put the names down on paper, you realize this lineup is pretty deep. And then when you add (Elvis) Andrus to the lineup, it gets even deeper. It’s a really good problem to have.” — Grifol on putting together a batting order