PHOENIX -- The order isn’t set, but the names are. The Brewers’ starting rotation represents a youth movement.

Manager Craig Counsell on Thursday revealed his starting pitching plans beyond Jhoulys Chacín on Opening Day. Last year’s Opening Day starter, Chase Anderson, will begin the year in the bullpen. Zach Davies will start the fifth regular season game in Cincinnati. And 22-year-old Freddy Peralta, 24-year-old Corbin Burnes and 26-year-old Brandon Woodruff will get the other three rotation spots in an order to be determined.

“It’s time for them to start,” Counsell said. “That’s the decision that we made, that we’re going to put them in the rotation.”

All three enjoyed marquee moments last season, when that trio combined for a 3.44 ERA and 215 strikeouts in 183 innings during the regular season and postseason. Woodruff was the Brewers’ surprise starter for Game 1 of the National League Division Series against the Rockies. Burnes rose to a high-leverage relief role for Counsell. Peralta struck out 13 Rockies in his Major League debut on Mother’s Day and held opponents to a .178 average in the regular season -- second to American League Cy Young Award winner Blake Snell among starters who pitched at least 30 innings.

Burnes got the news just as he was beginning his warm-up routine for his start Thursday against the Dodgers. He didn’t allow a run until the fifth inning, when Justin Turner connected with a misplaced sinker for a three-run home run. Other than that one pitch in the Brewers' 11-5 victory, Burnes said, it was a banner day.

“I’ve wanted to be a starter in the big leagues for all I can remember as a kid,” said Burnes. “So, to get that news today, knowing I get the opportunity to do that, is pretty special. I’m going to have to prove myself every time I go out there. That’s how I am as a pitcher.”

Anderson won’t begin the season in the rotation but “he will start for us” this year, Counsell said.

“Initial thought was, obviously, a little bit discouraged,” Anderson said. “I know they want to ride these young guys and see how they go. Get us out of the gate on the right foot, and we’ll go from there. Now that I’m in the bullpen, I’ve got a job to do. … I try to look at the positives in everything. I know that I can still start and pitch at this level and do my job. As of now, I’m in the bullpen.”

The Brewers also expect to get starts from Jimmy Nelson, who started a Minor League game Thursday, the latest step in his comeback from missing all of last season.

Last season, the Brewers employed 11 different starting pitchers, though Dan Jennings’ one-batter appearance as an “opener” in September in St. Louis warrants an asterisk.

Anderson and Davies are both bidding to bounce back from disappointing seasons. Anderson had a respectable 3.93 ERA but allowed a NL-worst 30 home runs and was removed from the rotation in September and left off the postseason roster. Davies was limited to 13 starts by shoulder and back injuries.

“You know what? After last year -- the struggles staying healthy … I’m happy to be back in the rotation,” Davies said. “I’m happy to have a spot. You know nothing is guaranteed, either. There are a lot of starters, a lot of capable guys who at any given moment [could replace you]. You have to stay on top of your game, be focused and get results.”

Davies will make a Spring Training start against the Reds on Friday, then remain in Arizona to start a Minor League game Wednesday before traveling to Milwaukee that night for Opening Day.

Next step for Nelson

Nelson recorded 10 outs while unofficially throwing 57 pitches in the Class A Advanced game on one of the backfields at American Family Fields of Phoenix. He yielded a solo home run, a double just inside the line and two walks while featuring sharp breaking balls and a fastball that sat in from 91-93 mph for the first three innings and mostly 89 mph in a long fourth.

That final inning was cut short with one out and runners at the corners when Nelson reached his pitch limit for the frame.

Praise for Ichiro

An hour or so after Ichiro Suzuki announced his retirement following the Mariners’ extra-innings win over the A’s in Japan, a pair of former teammates shared praise in the Brewers clubhouse for the future Hall of Famer.

“I know how much baseball meant to Ichiro, how much he meant to so many people in the game, in his home country and in this country. It was an honor to play with him,” said former Marlins teammate Christian Yelich. “I have really fond memories of those three years we had together in Miami, getting to see him make history on what seemed like every night. His 3,000th hit. All of those memories came back.

“I remember growing up watching him play when he was with the Mariners, when he was one of the best players in the game. He had a great career and he will definitely be a first-ballot Hall of Famer.”

Yelich said his favorite moment was watching the weight lifted off Ichiro’s shoulders when that 3,000th hit rattled around the right-field corner at Coors Field for a triple in 2016. Two years later, Ichiro returned to Seattle and was teammates with Ben Gamel, who was acquired by the Brewers from the Mariners this past offseason.

“I grew up watching him,” Gamel said. “I got to spend a lot of time with him, and he’s a class act. He’s always positive. Always has some sort of knowledge because he’s been through everything. Everything I had been through, he’s been through twice. And he was always willing to share his experience.”

Up next

Davies joked that he might throw all fastballs against the Reds in Friday’s 3:05 p.m. CT game at American Family Fields of Phoenix and save his full arsenal for the real thing on April 1 at Great American Ball Park. Fans can tune in to Fox Sports Wisconsin or MLB.TV to see whether he follows through on that.