MLB: Reds RHP Homer Bailey will miss start of season

GOODYEAR, Ariz. (AP) - The Cincinnati Reds took another hit to their starting rotation on Friday, losing right-hander Homer Bailey because of a shoulder problem.

General manager Walt Jocketty said that Bailey felt something in his shoulder during his last start. Tests found he has some limited movement, forcing him to rest for a week. He'll open the season on the disabled list along with right-handed starter Johnny Cueto, who has mild inflammation in his shoulder.

The defending NL Central champions also are unsure of starter Bronson Arroyo, who has been sick for nearly two weeks and was tested for a fungal infection in his lungs.

Manager Dusty Baker had to rearrange his rotation again after Bailey was examined and the problem detected.

"He felt it in his last start," Jocketty said. "He was throwing fine. He could have pitched with it, but it would have lingered during the season."

Bailey will rest for a week, then begin a throwing program. If all goes well, he'll miss only two starts when the season begins.

Baker picked right-hander Sam LeCure to take Bailey's spot in the rotation. LeCure made his big league debut last season when Bailey came down with a sore shoulder and went 1-5 with a 4.86 ERA in six starts. He was called up again at the end of the season and had a 3.38 ERA in nine relief appearances.

Arroyo has been slowed by flulike symptoms. He said on Friday that he got blood tests and chest X-rays to see if he has valley fever, a fungal infection found in desert regions of the Southwest. The fungus is released from the soil and inhaled.

The disease is treated with rest and drugs.

"I'll be good to go for the season, whether the tests are positive or negative," Arroyo said. "If they're positive, I can get the right medication to knock it out."

Arroyo was scratched from a start on March 21 because Baker was concerned about his health. Arroyo threw during a minor league game on Thursday and felt better. He's going to push himself as hard as he can in his last spring training start and see what happens.

"My last start here on the 29th will be like the first game of the season," Arroyo said. "I'll go 100 percent."