WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. • Given all the times through all the years that he's talked openly about his wish to start, the news he actually was going to get a game this spring did not elicit much from Trevor Rosenthal.

"He deadpanned it," manager Mike Matheny said.

After throwing Friday afternoon against Washington, Rosenthal will come back Monday to move into a spot left vacant by a teammate headed to the World Baseball Classic. All the players picked for their national teams are starting to scatter for the WBC. Carlos Martinez is headed to the Dominican Republic team this weekend, and Yadier Molina is flying to Arizona shortly to join Puerto Rico before it opens the tournament in Mexico.

Martinez's departure from camp comes with two questions.

How much will he pitch for the DR team?

Who will take his spot in the spring rotation?

The Cardinals, according to general manager John Mozeliak, have not yet gotten a clear and concise answer to the first question, and the team is unsure how much the national team is required to tell them. They're sorting through that conversation now on the coaching end. Martinez is set to start for the DR, and there are rules limiting the amount of pitches he can make.