PEORIA, Ariz. — If not for the knot on his forearm, which is still mildly tender to the touch, Felix Hernandez would have been preparing to make his third Cactus League start of the spring on Tuesday evening vs. the Rockies at Peoria Stadium.
Instead, Hernandez was relegated to standing in the sun and playing 10 minutes of catch with bullpen catcher Fleming Baez while being watched closely by senior trainer Rob Nodine, pitching coach Mel Stottlemyre and later manager Scott Servais. At least in this environment he wasn’t going to be wearing another comebacker off his body.