TORONTO — Nick Arbuckle will make his first start for the Toronto Argonauts.

Head coach Ryan Dinwiddie announced Wednesday that Arbuckle will start the Argos' home opener Saturday afternoon against the Winnipeg Blue Bombers.

Veteran McLeod Bethel-Thompson started Toronto's opening two games but was relieved in the third quarter of Friday night's 20-7 road loss to Winnipeg by Arbuckle.

Arbuckle came into the game with Toronto (1-1) trailing 10-0 and promptly marched the offence to its lone touchdown of the game, John White’s 30-yard scoring run.

But that’s as close as the Argos got as Winnipeg (2-0), the defending Grey Cup champion, scored 10 fourth-quarter points to cement the win.

Arbuckle finished 10-of-19 passing for 96 yards with an interception while Bethel-Thompson completed 10-of-20 attempts for 70 yards.

Last week’s action was Arbuckle’s first since 2019 when he was with the Calgary Stampeders.

The 27-year-old signed with Toronto as a free agent earlier this year and dealt with a hamstring issue during training camp, but said Tuesday he’s been healthy since the start of the season.