Seattle Mariners starter Drew Smyly will begin the season on the disabled list and could be out up to two months because of a strained elbow.

Smyly likely will miss 6-8 weeks with a flex strain in his left elbow, a big blow after the Mariners’ roster seemed set for the start of the regular season. Smyly will rehab the injury and surgery is not expected, but Smyly and the club are seeking additional information about how to handle the recovery.

‘‘It’s a key loss,’’ general manager Jerry Dipoto said Friday. ‘‘I can sit here and lament that we've lost Drew for a period of time or I can take a positive outlook and we’re days away from Opening Day.

‘‘It does nobody good . . . if we break with our head down. Drew was and is important to our season. I anticipate he will contribute at some point, just not as soon as we expected.’’

Smyly was acquired in the offseason in a trade from Tampa Bay. He was impressive early in spring training and in his one start for the United States during the World Baseball Classic. But Dipoto said Smyly did not seem the same after returning from the WBC and an examination revealed the injury.

Dipoto did not blame the WBC for the injury. ‘‘Injury is injury and it can happen at any time in any place,’’ he said.

‘‘It’s hard to point the finger back. I'd rather look forward and figure out how we create a solution rather than placing blame.’’

Ariel Miranda will take Smyly’s spot in the rotation after being optioned to Triple-A Tacoma on March 25.

‘‘He earned it. He earned it last year. The starts that he made down the stretch, you could argue for the last six weeks of the season he was the most consistent starter that we had,’’ Dipoto said.

Also, the Mariners signed infielder Gordon Beckham to a minor league contract. Beckham, who was released by San Francisco, spent most of last season with Atlanta.

Brantley’s back

Cleveland Indians outfielder Michael Brantley will likely make the Opening Day roster — and could start the opener — following a spring in which he slowly worked himself back into shape after playing in only 11 games last year.

Brantley will travel with Cleveland to Texas this weekend as the AL champions prepare to start the season Monday against the Rangers. Manager Terry Francona doesn’t have to submit his roster until Sunday, but all signs are pointing to Brantley being on it.

‘‘It’s not like it’s going to be a big secret,’’ Francona said. ‘‘We’re not trying to keep it a secret. I mean, we’re taking 25 guys and he’s one of them. The paperwork is not done, but I think the work has been done by him.’’

Brantley played in three straight Cactus League games this week as the Indians wanted to see if he could handle the workload before making any decisions. Brantley did not have any setbacks, clearing the way for him to possibly be in left field on Opening Day — a moment the Indians have been hoping would be possible and may soon be a reality.

Brantley hit .385 (10 for 26) with two homers this spring.

With Brantley in the lineup, the Indians are a much more complete team. He’s arguably the team’s best all-around player, and Francona considers him the heart and soul of the Indians.

Braves open park

Freddie Freeman hit a three-run homer, Bartolo Colon got in a final tuneup before his 20th big league season, and the Atlanta Braves opened their new stadium with an 8-5 victory over the New York Yankees. New York’s Greg Bird picked up his eighth homer — tied with Washington’s Bryce Harper for the most in the majors this spring — with a two-run shot off Colon in the third inning. The exhibition, before a crowd of 21,392, wrapped up the spring for both teams and served as a soft opening for the new stadium . . . The Texas Rangers unexpectedly optioned reliever Keona Kela to Triple A Round Rock. GM Jon Daniels says the move wasn’t based on performance. Without being specific about why Kela was being sent down, Daniels and manager Jeff Banister both spoke about clubhouse culture multiple times when being questioned about the decision. Both said Kela had an excellent spring and indicated that the move wouldn’t be permanent . . . The Orioles signed the son of Cal Ripken Jr. to a minor league contract. First baseman Ryan Ripken, 23, originally drafted by the Nationals in 2014, will play for the Orioles’ Class A Aberdeen affiliate.

Hendricks, Musgrove have right stuff

Kyle Hendricks and Joe Musgrove each wrapped up successful springs with solid starts on Friday. Hendricks yielded two hits and struck out three over five scoreless innings to help the Chicago Cubs beat the Astros, 6-3, in Houston in the last tuneup for the teams before Opening Day. Musgrove allowed three hits with four strikeouts over four scoreless innings for Houston.

Hendricks, who led the majors with a 2.13 ERA last season, posted a 2-0 record with a 1.66 ERA in six starts this spring for the reigning World Series champions. Musgrove, 24, finished the spring 3-0 with a 2.08 ERA in seven starts and enters the season as Houston’s fourth starter. It will be the first time he’s opened the season in the majors after going 4-4 with a 4.06 ERA in 11 outings as a rookie last year after being called up in August.