Hoffman was in a tight race with Chi Chi Gonzalez for the fifth starter's spot prior to the shutdown, Thomas Harding of MLB.com reports.
He threw four scoreless innings with nine strikeouts in a minor-league game in his most recent appearance of the spring, but he gave up seven runs (four earned) while striking out four in 5.2 innings against big-leaguers this spring. Hoffman has had some success by removing his changeup from his arsenal and focusing on using just his fastball and curveball, although that two-pitch mix would work better in the bullpen than in the rotation. Harding speculates that Gonzalez is the slight favorite while Ubaldo Jimenez is a dark horse candidate.