SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- Zack Greinke will start on Opening Day for the D-backs when they take on the Dodgers in Los Angeles on March 28.

Given his success the past two seasons -- when he’s gone a combined 32-18 while making 65 starts -- Greinke seemed to be the logical candidate to start the opener, but D-backs manager Torey Lovullo chose to wait until Tuesday to make the announcement.

Left-hander Robbie Ray was the other candidate to start the opener.

“It just made as much sense for me to get as much information as I could before I made that decision,” Lovullo said. “We had one other strong candidate I felt like, but at this point, I just felt like Zack was the right choice for a lot of the reasons that he has been showing us since he stepped into camp five weeks ago.”

It will be Greinke’s third Opening Day start for the D-backs, and the fourth of his career. The right-hander also started the 2016 and '17 openers for Arizona.

Greinke was hampered by a groin injury last spring, so he did not start the opener as Patrick Corbin got the nod.

This year, Greinke requested and was granted permission to arrive to camp a few days later than the rest of the pitchers. He has thrown the ball well in a backfield game and three Cactus League starts, in which he has a 2.79 ERA.

More importantly, the 35-year-old has reported feeling better physically than he has in a few years.

“Zack has thrown the ball extremely well in the three years that I’ve been here,” Lovullo said. “It’s as good as I’ve seen at this point in time, and I feel like any time you have that caliber of guy that comes in as prepared as he did and is having those types of results, you have to give him strong consideration.”

The Dodgers have yet to announce an Opening Day starter, but it won’t be ace Clayton Kershaw, who will begin the season on the injured list.

Greinke pitched for the Dodgers from 2013-15 before signing a six-year, $206.5 million free-agent deal with the D-backs.

Lovullo declined to say how the rest of the rotation would line up. Ray, Zack Godley, Luke Weaver and Merrill Kelly will fill the rest of the rotation.