San Francisco Giants' Lee Jung-hoo (27) took a break as a precaution due to a back strain.
Lee was scheduled to start as the third hitter and center fielder in the exhibition game against the Seattle Mariners on the 16th (Korean time) at Scottsdale Stadium in Scottsdale, Arizona.
However, the lineup for San Francisco changed before the game started. With Lee out of the lineup, third baseman Matt Chapman moved up one spot from the fourth to the third in the batting order, and Grant McCray entered as the ninth hitter and started.
According to Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle, Lee was out due to a back strain. It is not a serious injury, and the absence was made as a precaution.
Lee went silent with no hits in three at-bats against the Texas Rangers on the 14th, ending his streak of 11 consecutive games reaching base since the start of the exhibition season. He then rested for the game against the Milwaukee Brewers on the 15th, marking two consecutive games of rest until today.
Lee had surgery on his left shoulder after colliding with the fence while playing outfield defense in mid-May last year and has been rehabilitating for eight months due to being out for the season. He has not been back for long since the injury, and since it is still the exhibition season, there is no need to push it.
In this exhibition season, Lee is performing well with a batting average of .300 (9 hits in 30 at-bats), 2 home runs, 5 RBIs, 9 runs, 4 walks, and 7 strikeouts over 12 games, with an on-base percentage of .400 and a slugging percentage of .567. His performance is making his eight months away from competitive play seem insignificant as he targets the opening day.
[OSEN = Lee Sang-hak reporter]