This is by design, manager Ned Yost said.
"We're just backing them off early," Yost said. "We're starting early with games because of the [World Baseball Classic] and there's no reason to get them started this early."
Left-hander Danny Duffy, who starts on Tuesday, is on a bit of a different schedule because of his commitment to the World Baseball Classic in March. Left-hander Jason Vargas, another lock for the rotation who starts on Monday, is on a different schedule because he threw just 12 innings in 2016 after having Tommy John surgery in '15.