King Felix vows return to rotation: 'I'll be a starter before the end of the year'

Felix Hernandez lost his spot in the Seattle Mariners rotation, but not his confidence.

"I'll be a starter before the end of the year," Hernandez told The Associated Press. "No question about it."

Hernandez was relegated to the bullpen Thursday for the foreseeable future after posting a career-worst 5.73 ERA and 1.43 WHIP over 23 starts. The right-hander has never pitched in relief during his 14-year career in which he's made 398 starts.

"I tell you, I'm going to be a starter (again)," he said, according to Greg Johns of MLB.com. "I'm not a reliever. I'm a starter."

King Felix acknowledged that the decision to demote him to the bullpen was initially difficult to accept, but he was able to come to terms with it after speaking with his wife.

"My wife is here. She flew here," Hernandez said. "We had a good conversation. And she told me, 'Just go out there and be the leader that you've been all these years. Be you. Be you.'"

The Mariners will certainly hope that Hernandez can find something in the bullpen that helps him return to the rotation. The 32-year-old is the highest-paid player on the team and is owed $27.8 million next season.