The Mariners say pitcher Cliff Lee has a right lower abdominal strain and he was treated today in Seattle. He’ll be re-evaluated in seven days.
Manager Don Wakamatsu said Lee apparently was injured Monday when he collided with Chris Snyder of the Arizona Diamondbacks while backing up a play at the plate. Lee pitched 2 2/3 innings in that game, ejected in the third inning after he threw a pitch near Snyder’s head.
Snyder approached the mound and both benches emptied, although no punches were thrown. On Wednesday, Lee received a five-game suspension by Major League Baseball for that incident.
Today, however, the Mariners learned that his collision with Snyder, in the first inning, may have an impact just as detrimental to the start of the season.
Lee had an ultrasound exam today in Seattle and Dr. Ed Khalfayan, the team medical director, gave him a “platelet rich plasma injection,” the Mariners said. He will be re-evaluated in seven days.
The Mariners didn’t say how long the recovery period would be before Lee is able to pitch again.
Lee threw his scheduled bullpen session on Thursday and didn’t show outward signs of the injury. However, Wakamatsu said he felt the discomfort while throwing that bullpen session.
“Knowing the man, he’s a tough guy. I’m sure the last thing he wants to do is this,” Wakamatsu said. “Sometimes you get a tweak here and there and human nature is that (you hope) it’ll go away. I think it’s good that we caught it when we did.”
Besides the uncertainty over Lee’s health, that and the suspension tosses uncertainty into how the Mariners will put together their opening-day roster.
“It’s not a good feeling,” Wakamatsu said. “We’re extremely excited about having him in the rotation and to know that we have to evaluate and see where we’re at, it makes the decision-making process a little harder. For now, we’ll let it run its course and we’ll re-evaluate in a week.”
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