MESA, Ariz. – Cubs right-hander Marcus Stroman announced Wednesday on Twitter what had seemed like an inevitability: He’ll be the Opening Day starter. 

“To feel that energy in Wrigley, that’s why you worked so hard, for those moments,” Stroman said this week. 

According to Stroman, he told manager David Ross that he didn’t need the Opening Day start. 

“I said, ‘If you want me to have it, I would love to have it,’” he said. “‘But if you want anybody else to have it, I’m trying to make 33, 34 starts. And that’s the goal; doesn’t matter if I’m pitching one or pitching five out of the gate.” 

Last year, his first with the club, Stroman lobbied for longtime Cub Kyle Hendricks to be the Opening Day starter. But this year, Hendricks is about a month behind in his buildup, delayed as he recovered from a capsular tear in his right shoulder.

“What stands out is just the focus and attention to detail he has in his downtime,” Ross said of Stroman’s past year with the Cubs. “He goes out there and competes as good as anybody. But how he prepares himself, how he takes care of his body, the focus in which he will throw a bullpen and do his work is pretty spectacular. You see why he’s had such success over his career.”

The Cubs open the season at home next Thursday against the Brewers.