GLENDALE, Ariz. -- It’s not quite a regular-season game, but Trevor Bauer will take the mound for the first time as a member of the Dodgers on Monday against the Rockies at Camelback Ranch, live on MLB.TV.

Bauer, 30, was the Dodgers’ big free-agent acquisition this offseason, signed to a three-year, $102 million deal with player options after every season. The right-hander is coming off a National League Cy Young Award-winning season in which he posted a 1.73 ERA and struck out 100 over 73 innings with the Reds.

• Spring Training information | Spring Training schedule

The next step for Bauer is to prove that he can carry that consistency over the course of a full 162-game season. Bauer is scheduled to be the highest-paid player in the Majors this season, earning about $40 million. He’ll remain the highest-paid player in the league in 2022 if nobody surpasses the $45 million he’s scheduled to receive.

Bauer is set to pitch two innings on Monday, according to manager Dave Roberts. He threw his first live BP on Thursday.

“He’s really good,” said Dodgers outfielder Mookie Betts, when asked about Bauer. “He’s won a Cy Young and it wasn’t [by] accident. I expect him to come here and compete and do what he does.”

With new Spring Training rules in place this season, the game is set to be a six-inning game, per Roberts, with the possibility that both teams agree to play 6 1/2 frames if the pitchers still need extra work.

Sunday’s opener
While Bauer will get the start on Monday, the Dodgers open Cactus League play on Sunday against the A’s at Hohokam Park in Mesa, Ariz., also live on MLB.TV. Left-hander Mike Kickham is expected to start for the Dodgers and Roberts said the plan is for him to pitch the first two innings.

Following Kickham, the Dodgers will send out right-hander Edwin Uceta. The 23-year-old pitcher out of the Dominican Republic is the Dodgers’ No. 23 overall prospect, according to MLB Pipeline. Uceta was a member of the team’s 60-man player pool last season and spent time at the alternate training site at USC, but was sent home for violating COVID-19 protocols.

AJ Pollock, Gavin Lux and Austin Barnes are some of the position players tentatively scheduled to play. DJ Peters, the team’s No. 11 prospect per Pipeline, will also get playing time at center field in the first two games against the A’s and Rockies, according to Roberts.

Quick hits

• Sheldon Neuse, who was acquired from the A’s this offseason, said he feels comfortable playing second base, third base and shortstop. He’s also occasionally taking grounders at first.

• Over the offseason, MLB Network rated Dodgers catcher Will Smith as the third-best catcher in the Majors after his breakout 2020 season. When asked if he sees himself as a top five catcher in the league, he said, “Personally, I do, but I have never compared myself to others.”

• Josiah Gray -- the team’s No. 1 prospect -- and left-hander Alex Vesia were two of the notable pitchers to throw a live BP on Saturday. Gray faced a tough order, going up against Justin Turner, Corey Seager and Barnes. Vesia matched up against Betts, Pollock and Lux.