PITTSBURGH -- Heading into Spring Training as a non-roster invitee, Derek Holland said his goal was just to make the team, whatever the role may be. He said the same thing when Summer Camp began, even though it was all but guaranteed he would take a spot in the starting rotation.

Manager Derek Shelton made it official after Holland pitched three innings on Wednesday in the Pirates’ 5-3 loss to Cleveland at PNC Park, their final exhibition game before Friday’s season opener: Holland is on the team and in Pittsburgh’s rotation. The veteran left-hander will start one of the Bucs’ first two home games against the Brewers after this weekend’s opening series in St. Louis.

“I think he deserved it,” Shelton said. “He pitched well during [Spring Training] 1.0. He’s done a nice job executing his pitches. He and [pitching coach] Oscar [Marin] have a very good relationship. I think they’ve done a nice job with his pitch mix and what his pitch usage is going to be. Most importantly, he’s pitched well enough to deserve it.”

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Holland knew his line against Cleveland on Wednesday didn’t look great: three innings, five hits, a homer, three runs (two earned), one walk and two strikeouts. But his defense did him no favors in a two-run first inning, and he walked off the mound pleased with the way he pitched. Holland said everything in his arsenal is where it needs to be heading into his first start of the regular season.

The Pirates also appreciate Holland’s impact in the clubhouse. The 11-year veteran has all kinds of experience, from the rotation to the bullpen and from losing teams to the World Series winners. He has more Major League service time than anyone on Pittsburgh’s roster. He brings a competitive spirit to the Pirates’ rotation, but also a relaxed vibe to the clubhouse.

“He doesn’t take himself too seriously, which I think is a very good thing,” Shelton said. “With a young club and young pitchers, I think he’s going to be a guy they can lean on and have conversations with.”

Holland brought up one of those conversations during Wednesday’s game: the low expectations for the Pirates this season. They are projected to finish last in the highly competitive National League Central after losing 93 games last season, and Holland -- who singled out something he read that he felt disparaged himself and fellow lefty starter Steven Brault -- has encouraged his teammates to feed off that.

“People aren't picking us to do anything, and I can tell you right now, that clubhouse loves that mentality -- loves that nobody wants us to win, nobody is picking us to win,” Holland said. “We're going to go out there, and we're going to do everything we can each and every game to give the fans what they deserve."

“I think the one thing that we’ve talked about privately is the same thing I’ve talked about publicly: Whatever people say externally, we really don’t care,” added Shelton. “I care what our group thinks and what our staff thinks and what our baseball ops staff thinks. We’ll deal with those.”

With Holland guaranteed a spot in the rotation, Pittsburgh has confirmed its plans for all but one spot. Joe Musgrove will start on Opening Day followed by Trevor Williams and right-hander Mitch Keller, who learned on Tuesday night that he’ll start Sunday.

“It’s just an honor. I’m super excited to have the opportunity to go third,” Keller said. “I worked my butt off all offseason, and then coming into camp here, it’s been a huge learning experience for me, learning new things and putting those to the test and just going out every fifth day. Being here and being told I was going to be the third starter is just very exciting.”

That leaves two spots, one of which will go to Holland. The other will likely be the Pirates’ piggyback tandem of Brault and right-hander Chad Kuhl. Shelton said the club still hasn’t finalized its Opening Day roster, which must be submitted by noon ET on Thursday.

“Most of the decisions are close to being made or [have been] made, but there's still conversations to be had,” Shelton said.

Around the horn
• Shelton confirmed that closer Keone Kela tested positive for COVID-19. Kela, who has missed all of Summer Camp for previously unexplained reasons, gave the team permission to share that information on Wednesday.

“He’s in good spirits. [I’m] really excited for him to get back when he does come back,” Shelton said. “All of our conversations have been really good with him. I’m really encouraged. He continues to be a good teammate. I know he's reaching out to his teammates and talking to them.”

• The Pirates sent No. 2 prospect Ke’Bryan Hayes, who returned to the field this week after missing most of Summer Camp due to a positive COVID-19 test, to their alternate training site in Altoona, Pa.

Hayes was a long shot to crack the Opening Day roster no matter what, so the move came as even less of a surprise considering how much time he missed in camp. But the third baseman could be an interesting callup consideration for the Pirates once he gets up to speed.

• First baseman Josh Bell seems to be ready for games that count. After hitting a right-handed homer in Cleveland on Monday, Bell crushed a left-handed shot deep into the right-field seats in the first inning on Wednesday. Bell also doubled in the sixth inning.

“Very, very encouraging,” Shelton said.

• After two rough games, Pittsburgh’s bullpen bounced back on Wednesday. Right-handers Chris Stratton, Clay Holmes and Geoff Hartlieb each worked a scoreless inning, as did lefty Robbie Erlin. High-leverage righty Kyle Crick gave up a leadoff homer to José Ramírez but bounced back to strike out three batters, two of them on sliders.

• The Pirates called over five players from their Altoona camp to join their roster for Wednesday’s exhibition: relievers Hartlieb and Miguel Del Pozo; infielders Mason Martin and Ji-Hwan Bae; and outfielder Jason Martin.