General manager Jerry Dipoto notes Kikuchi's stamina should already be relatively high entering summer camp due to the throwing sessions he's been putting in over the last month, Shannon Drayer of 710 ESPN Seattle reports.
In reviewing the status of the team's projected starters ahead of the start of summer camp July 1, Dipoto assessed that Kikuchi and Justin Dunn may sport two of the most conditioned arms in the rotation at this point, considering they've worked out regularly at the Mariners' spring training facility in Peoria, Arizona and have been throwing "full tilt" against live hitters while building up to as much as 60 pitches. That level of activity bodes well for Kikuchi's chances of handling a fairly hefty workload right from the start of the shortened season, although Dipoto notes Seattle is expected to utilize a six-man rotation and have one starter "piggyback" another in early-season games.