Maybe less work is the answer for Andy Pettitte

How much work is too much? As Andy Pettitte returns from the disabled list to start Monday night against the Indians, that's the question the Yankees lefthander is asking himself.

With an eye on remaining healthy for the final four months of the season, Pettitte realizes there is value in dialing back his between-starts workouts.

But Pettitte also is "a creature of habit," as manager Joe Girardi said Sunday, so actually following through with his plan to stay idle more might be difficult.

The Yankees know that, so they're encouraging him to back off his work.

"With as much success as he's had over time, it's hard to change what you do," Girardi said. "But I think it's important that he does maybe a little bit, because he's a real worker in between starts."

Girardi said Pettitte is always doing something physical "every day," adding, "I think he has to be a little bit careful."

Pettitte understands that. No one needs to tell him he will turn 41 years old June 15 and has spent plenty of time on the disabled list in recent years. And it's easy to make the case that he's even more important to the Yankees' chances this season than in previous years.

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So keeping him on the mound is vital. But he also wants to feel primed and ready when he gets there.

"I've got to find that good balance to work because I want to work, I'm used to working, but I also want to stay healthy and understand I can't maybe work like I used to," Pettitte said. "I'm still trying to figure that out."

Sidelined since May 18 because of a strained trapezius muscle in his throwing shoulder, Pettitte threw only one bullpen session leading up to Monday night's return.

A few days ago, he tossed around the idea of sticking to only one bullpen session between starts as opposed to two, as he's always done. But on Sunday, he wasn't so sure.

"Truthfully, I don't know," Pettitte said. "I'm used to doing two bullpens. We'll just see how it goes, but right now, I'd say probably not."

For a starting pitcher, a bullpen session acts as a tuneup. Pitchers get on a bullpen mound during batting practice and throw a few dozen pitches, working on the location and movement of their pitches, from both the windup and stretch positions.

Pitchers typically throw only one bullpen session between starts, but Pettitte has always done two because: "I'm not a power guy. I'm kind of touch-and-feely, so I feel it helps me."

But at what point do all those extra pitches off a mound become a hindrance?

Pettitte, in his 18th major-league season, has logged more regular-season innings -- 3,180 -- than any other active pitcher. He's also thrown the equivalent of more than a regular season during the postseason (2762/3 innings). So the Yankees have reason to think it's about time for him to reduce the toll on his body.

Whether Pettitte can allow himself to rest more is a question even he can't answer. He's so focused on the work he needs to do to be ready that he's already circled his scheduled starts until the All-Star break on the oversized calendar in his clubhouse locker.

Sitting around and doing nothing between those games is not his thing.

"I've pitched not throwing bullpens at all when my elbow hurt so bad, and was successful doing that," Pettitte said. "But I feel like if I'm feeling good, I want to throw my bullpens. I enjoy getting on the mound and I enjoy working, you know? We'll just have to see, see how I feel."