Hernandez’s first bullpen workout is Saturday

PEORIA, Ariz. — The clock starts Saturday for Mariners ace right-hander Felix Hernandez, who is sticking to his plan from recent years in beginning his bullpen workouts later than everyone else.

"We’ve had a program for the last four years," he said. "It works for me. I’ll throw my first bullpen on Saturday, and then we’ll go from there. Same routine as I’ve had before."

The rest of the staff will be on it’s third cycle of bullpen workouts by Saturday.

"Felix has this plan in place," general manager Jerry Dipoto said, "and it works for him. We’re not messing with it."

Hernandez, 29, has made at least 31 starts and pitched more than 200 innings in each of the last eight seasons. He leads all major-league pitchers in innings over the last 10 years.

Bob Dutton: @TNT_Mariners

This story was originally published February 22, 2016 at 12:35 PM with the headline "Hernandez’s first bullpen workout is Saturday."