Philadelphia Phillies right fielder Bryce Harper woke up with soreness in his lower back and was held out of the starting lineup for Saturday’s home game against the St. Louis Cardinals.
Harper, 28, is considered as day-to-day by the team, however the slugger dealt with a similar injury last season.
“It’s something that we have to watch and stay on top of,” Phillies manager Joe Girardi said on the pregame show. “I told him, ‘Look, let’s get this right. Let’s not try to fight through this because we have such a long season. Last season was a sprint. This season is a marathon and we want you feeling good when you’re out there.'”
Matt Joyce started in right field on Saturday in place of Harper, who endured back issues during the final month of last season.
The 2015 National League Most Valuable Player is batting .238 with two homers and six RBIs in 13 games this season.
Harper is hitting .275 with 234 homers and 674 RBIs in 1,155 career games with the Washington Nationals and Phillies.
