Initially when J.J. Hardy sat out a game last week with back spasms the Orioles said it was merely a precautionary move early in a long season, but the shortstop had to skip Sunday’s game with more back spasms.
Brittany Ghiroli of MLB.com reports that the latest issue is actually in a different spot in Hardy’s back, but says “it’s still a concern” for the 31-year-old.
Ryan Flaherty moved from third base to shortstop to sub for Hardy, who missed a lot of time with various injuries early in his career but played 158 games in 2012 and 159 games in 2013 for the Orioles. He’s the winner of back-to-back Gold Glove awards and topped 20 homers in each of the past three seasons.
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