The Seattle Mariners have decided to rest LHP Cliff Lee for 5 days in hopes to heal a strained muscle in his abdomen, making it a distinct possibility the starting pitcher will begin his debut season with the Mariners on the disabled list.
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Manager Don Wakamatsu and the rest of the Mariners training staff all agreed Friday that it is in Lee’s best interest to not throw until next Wednesday. The team is waiting to see if the injury will heal on its own before officially placing the 31-year-old on the DL.
The injury has lingered since March 15th, when Lee collided with Arizona Diamondbacks catcher Chris Snyder during a spring training game. The collision was indirectly led towards Lee’s 5-game suspension after throwing a pitch near Snyder’s head in his next at-bat.
Cliff Lee felt pain and discomfort in his lower right abdomen for the second time in three days Thursday after throwing lightly on flat ground for a only a few minutes. The injury comes at a difficult time for the squad, as the M’s and the rest of Major League Baseball commences the regular season April 5th.
Lee has a history of problems with his abdomen, starting the season on the DL in 2007 for the Cleveland Indians with a muscle strain in the exact same place. He began that season in Double-A Akron, and returned to the majors in weeks winning his first 8 starts and imminently leading the Indians to the ALCS that season.
Reach Jacob Kehle at nextseasonsports@gmail.com
