SARASOTA, Fla. — Yennier Cano knows this camp is different for him.

A year ago, he was fighting for a spot on the major league roster after being traded at the 2022 deadline. He didn’t end up making it for opening day, but he got the call in mid-April and ran with it. Cano went on to become an All-Star, ending the year with a 2.11 ERA.

This year, after his breakout season, he’s a lock for the team. He’ll be the go-to setup man for manager Brandon Hyde, perhaps even taking a turn or two at closer when Craig Kimbrel isn’t available.

“I think it just gives you a lot more confidence coming into this camp knowing that you have a spot that’s secure,” Cano said through Brandon Quinones, who translated the interview. “You can just come in and work on your pitches and do what you need to do, but not have that pressure of feeling like you still need to compete for a spot.”

But one thing held him back from putting up even better numbers: fatigue. He pitched a career-high 72 2/3 innings last season, and it showed in his stats. In the last month of the season, Cano gave up six earned runs in 9 1/3 innings pitched.

“I think everyone was aware of that fact toward the end of last season, it’s no secret,” Cano said. “I set a career-high in innings, it was the most I had ever pitched in my entire life. Although I was still pitching good and my velocity was up, I did feel tired.”

So this camp, pacing has been the key word. They are keeping his spring training numbers light, with the hope that he can be fresher at the end of the season. He didn’t get into a game until March 4, over a week after the rest of his teammates. He’s only pitched three innings so far, including a scoreless inning Tuesday in a 12-8 win over the Rays.

His focus this spring has been on his slider and finding ways to locate it better. It’s a pitch he only used 13% of the time last year, but one that is crucial for him in his success against right-handed hitters. It was also statistically his worst pitch: Hitters had a .286 batting average against it, compared to .193 for his changeup and .241 against his sinker.

Cano’s goal, he said, is to feel confident enough with his slider that he can use it when he’s behind in the count, or in 3-2 situations.

“I think it just comes down to putting in the work and gaining confidence from doing so,” Cano said. “I’m trying to do better about throwing it in the strike zone.”