Kikuchi will have his innings limited in his first year with the Mariners, Greg Johns of MLB.com reports.
This isn't all too surprising, as Kikuchi will be adjusting to a new schedule where he'll pitch more frequently -- he started every six or seven days in Japan. The Mariners still want Kikuchi to make 30-plus starts in 2019, but every fifth start will be an abbreviated outing for the 27-year-old southpaw. Kikuchi went 14-4 with a 3.08 ERA, 8.4 K/9 and 2.5 BB/9 in Japan in 2018.