"I found out yesterday," Bielak said Wednesday. "It was kind of up in the air a little bit, still going out there throwing my light side, just going out there working on my stuff and getting back into that starters routine is something that I'll be pretty happy about."
While James has struggled in his first two starts of 2020, surrendering seven runs in six innings with 11 walks, Astros manager Dusty Baker says his move to the bullpen isn't as much as a demotion, but a way for the Astros to address a need with Roberto Osuna and Chris Devenski out with injuries.
"I think we need James at the back end of the bullpen because the back end is mighty young."
The Astros didn't make James, who had expressed a desire to be in the starting rotation during spring training, available to reporters prior to Wednesday's game in Arizona, but Baker said he took the news well.
"He told me he'd do whatever the team needs him to do. Had we played 162-game season then we have time for him to work this out and for this expirement to continue a little longer, but since we have the abbreviated season we didn't feel that we could really take a chance in our bullpen being short a couple more times.
Along wtih moving Bielak into the rotation and James out of it, Baker announced Zack Greinke's next start would be pushed back to Friday in Oakland so he could avoid facing his former team and start opposite an Athletics club that features a more right-handed hitting lineup.