GOODYEAR, Ariz. – Brett Lawrie came out of Canada’s 12-2 exhibition loss to the Cincinnati Reds on Wednesday earlier than planned after he felt what manager Ernie Whitt described as a twinge in his side.
There were few details beyond that on the Toronto Blue Jays third baseman, who was seen rubbing the left side on the middle of his back in the dugout after the third inning. During that frame he had to reach awkwardly for an errant throw, although what caused the twinge wasn’t known.
Asked if the issue was severe enough to keep Lawrie out of Canada’s World Baseball Classic opener against Italy on Friday, Whitt replied: “We’ll see how he feels (Thursday). It’s a wait and see right now.”
Taylor Green hit for Lawrie in the fourth.
“I’m not sure when he felt that, but as soon as he came in, he went right to the trainers and felt a little twinge, so we took him out,” said Whitt. “We’re always very cautious of individuals if they feel anything, we don’t want to hurt them or extend their injuries so we just took him out. …
“He was only going to play four innings anyway. He’s seeing the trainers, we’ll see what goes on.”