Mariners notebook: Felix Hernandez getting closer to his return
Jun 30, 2016, 7:28 PM | Updated: Jul 1, 2016, 3:28 pm
Felix Hernandez hasn't pitched since May 27, but the M's hope he can return shortly after the All-Star break. (AP)
(AP)
A few news items and notes from a very busy day at Safeco Field:
The Mariners’ rotation is getting ever closer to being back at full-strength, with Felix Hernandez continuing to go through his regular routine of building back up to a start following a month off with the calf injury.
Felix is scheduled to throw a bullpen session Friday and then should travel with the team and throw a simulated game in Houston. After that, the Mariners look to get him two rehab starts before bringing him back to start a game shortly after the All-Star break.
“Really important that he stays disciplined to the program because we need him back,” Mariners manager Scott Servais said Thursday afternoon.
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That should not be a problem for Felix, who has been maintaining his in-between-starts routine – or as much as he could with the injury – for a few weeks now. The important thing is his leg has checked out OK after each step forward he has taken toward a return.
“He looked good,” said pitching coach Mel Stottlemyre Jr. “He threw his 25 pitches with his arm not being an issue; that looked really good. There was life coming out of his hand, location. The main concern was to make sure he could get through that without any limitations or hesitations getting off that back leg. He was good.”
Notes
• Reliever Tom Wilhelmsen is back with the big-league club after just two outings with the Rainiers. “His velocity came up in the last outing,” Servais said. “He was very sharp, two innings, 16 pitches last time out. He is starting to get confidence back and maybe not over analyzing, thinking too much. Just let it hunt. It was good to see.”
• Catcher Steve Clevenger saw a hand specialist Thursday and elected to have surgery on the fractured metacarpal in hopes for a quicker return as opposed to setting the bone and letting it heal. If all goes well, he could return in two months.
• The Mariners’ first pick in the 2016 draft, outfielder Kyle Lewis, has won the Golden Spikes Award, which is given annually to college baseball’s most outstanding player. In 12 games at Single-A Everett, Lewis is hitting .234/.357/.676 but may be heating up. In his last two games, he has gone 4 for 7 with eight RBIs.
