Former Pirate left-hander Jeff Locke has stopped throwing for a few days due to bicep tendinitis. The Marlins expect him to resume his program by the end of the week.

“We just want to get him calmed down before we get him back started again,” manager Don Mattingly said. “We got plenty of time.”

Locke is still participating in most of each day’s workout — bunting and fielding drills and the like — but not the throwing portions. He doesn’t expect this pause in his ramp-up activities to be a big deal.

“Just with it being early, take the precautions you can take,” Locke said. “Donnie says it best in the meetings: ‘If any little thing picks up, let’s not make it a big thing by not taking care of it. Let’s do the smart thing here.’ “

Locke is a candidate for the No. 5 starter job, but if he loses that race he’ll likely end up in the bullpen as a long reliever.