Brett Lawrie of the Blue Jays is out of the World Baseball Classic.
Lawrie was removed from Canada’s exhibition game on Wednesday against the Cincinnati Reds after he complained of discomfort in his side, near his rib cage. It was discovered that he had strained a muscle, similar to an injury he suffered last season that kept him out of the lineup for a month.
His withdrawal was announced today. Earlier in the day, Jays manager John Gibbons said that if Lawrie’s injury was serious, the Jays would remove him from the national team’s roster.
Lawrie will now be evaluated by Jays’ doctors.
The World Baseball Classic is set to begin on Friday. Canada’s first game is against Italy, with weekend games against Mexico and the United States.
