NewsRolen not in lineup with stiff back
Jays infielder doesn't start in Sunday's finale vs. Royals
By Erika Gilbert / MLB.com
06/07/09 12:58 PM ET
TORONTO -- For the second day in a row, third baseman Scott Rolen was not in the Blue Jays' lineup Sunday, this time due to injury.Although Rolen has had problems with his left shoulder since 2005, he had managed to stay healthy so far this season. On Sunday, though, he was bothered by a stiff back.
"Rolen's got a little bit of a back problem going on," Blue Jays manager Cito Gaston said. "He's a little stiff back there, so we're going to give him another day off."
After playing Friday night, Rolen got Saturday off as the Jays faced the Royals, as is usually the case for Rolen with day games following night games to avoid taxing his shoulder.
"He was off yesterday, just because I was giving him a day's rest, but he showed up with a stiff back, which carried over to today," Gaston said. "We'll see how it goes."
Gaston was not sure how serious the injury was, but he noted that Rolen's back had bothered him a bit in Spring Training.
"Rolen, I'm pretty sure he's had all kinds of injuries and pains, he's played so many games and the way he plays -- he plays hard all the time -- that's not surprising to me at all," Gaston said. "Hopefully, he's going to be OK to play down in Texas tomorrow night."
Erika Gilbert is an associate reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
