SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- Right-hander Dereck Rodríguez will get the nod when the Giants play their Cactus League opener against the Dodgers at Scottsdale Stadium on Saturday, manager Gabe Kapler announced Wednesday.

Rodríguez, who reported to Spring Training with a bit of a head start after playing winter ball in Puerto Rico during the offseason, is expected to throw two innings. Kapler said not to read too much into the decision, as it isn’t necessarily indicative of how the Giants plan to construct their roster this season.

“I think the way to look at the early stage camp games is, it's not an indication of where guys are going to hit in the lineup, it's not an indication of who's going to take down starting innings and reliever innings,” Kapler said. “We're just getting work in right now.”

Veteran position players Buster Posey, Brandon Belt, Evan Longoria and Brandon Crawford are penciled in to start Saturday, though Kapler said he will have to check in with Crawford, who has missed the last two workouts with flu-like symptoms.

Rodríguez, 27, was a revelation for the Giants in 2018, logging a 2.81 ERA over 118 1/3 innings after joining the organization on a Minor League deal. He made the Giants’ Opening Day rotation last year, but he struggled to replicate the success he enjoyed in ‘18, posting a 5.64 ERA over 99 innings while bouncing between Triple-A Sacramento and the Majors.

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After a rough start against the Phillies in August, Rodríguez voiced frustration with the Giants’ liberal use of Minor League options to shuttle young starters in and out of the rotation.

“My sense is that he's pretty self-critical and is tough on himself,” Kapler said. “I think some of the up and down has been tough for him. I think, frankly, there hasn't been as much velocity in 2019 as there was in ‘18. He's made some progress this spring with that. He’s had a little bit more velocity in his bullpens. We think his curveball is a good pitch, and he should continue to throw it.”

Rodríguez will be stretched out to start this spring, but the Giants could choose to shorten him up later if they feel he would be a better fit out of the bullpen. Flexibility is a major theme in camp this year, as Kapler wants his players to feel less wedded to delineated roles than they have in the past.

“This is true for all of our pitchers and all of our players,” Kapler said. “The mindset is, ‘I can handle any role. I can be used in a variety of ways. I'm a pitcher before I play any role.’ If you come in with that mentality, frustration is not as strong when you go back and forth and you're asked to play multiple roles.”

Belt ‘an assassin’ in BP
Unprompted, Kapler opened his media session Wednesday by praising Belt’s approach during batting practice.

“He's kind of an assassin in there in that he's not passive at all,” Kapler said. “He's very aggressive, but if a pitch doesn't look like he can drive it, he’s just laying off. Then when something hangs or he gets a good pitch to hit, he's really taking a good, healthy, aggressive pass.”

The 31-year-old Belt has long been a polarizing player for many Giants fans. His detractors lament his modest home run totals as a first baseman and lengthy injury history, while his supporters point to his high on-base percentage and career OPS+ of 120, which puts him above league average. Kapler, for his part, made clear which side of the “Belt Wars” he’s on.

“He's had well above-average Major League years,” Kapler said. “There have been times when he’s been elite at the plate and hasn't gotten the credit that he deserves for just how productive he's been, from an all-around perspective.”