Mariners ace Felix Hernandez will not return before the weekend

Aug 17, 2013; Arlington, TX, USA; Seattle Mariners starting pitcher Felix Hernandez (34) delivers a pitch to the Texas Rangers during the first inning of a baseball game at the Rangers Ballpark in Arlington. Mandatory Credit: Jim Cowsert-USA TODAY Sports /

The Seattle Mariners currently sit with a 66-84 record for the 2013 MLB season. Because of that, the team has elected to be extremely careful with their most valuable player asset, and that asset is Felix Hernandez.

According to a published report from the Seattle Times, Hernandez will not appear in the Seattle rotation anytime before Saturday, and despite previous reports, has zero possibility of pitching on Wednesday against the Tigers as a result of an oblique injury.

Positively, the report includes news that King Felix had a successful bullpen session on Wednesday, and it appears that his oblique is coming along at a reasonable rate. He has been on the sidelines since September 2nd, but in that time, he’s been understandably missed by the Seattle organization.

Before he left the rotation with injury, Felix was cruising toward a potential Cy Young season, and he’s been tremendous. In 194.1 innings, he has a 3.01 ERA (2.59 FIP) with a 9.26 K/9 rate that is an uptick on previous seasons. He is the lynchpin of the future (and the present) for the Mariners, and at 27 years old, the big right-hander is in the unquestioned prime of his already-stellar career.

It’s tough to question the Mariners on their pace of getting him back into the lineup, but let’s hope we see Felix sooner rather than later.

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