Toronto Blue Jays third baseman Brett Lawrie left the game Friday night after suffering an apparent rib cage injury on a swing.
The injury happened during the first inning of the Blue Jays' game against the Oakland Athletics. During his first at-bat of the game, the 22-year-old apparently injured himself on a swing where he fouled a pitch off. He was called out on strikes on the next pitch and was then replaced in the game by Omar Vizquel.
The Blue Jays' official team website reported Lawrie left the game with tightness in his rib cage. There was no indication of how serious the injury was or how much, if any, time it would cause Lawrie to miss.
During his first full season in the Major Leagues, Lawrie has played in 100 of the Blue Jays' 106 games. He is batting .282 with nine home runs and 40 RBI. His .742 OPS, while not bad, is a far cry from the .953 OPS he produced over 43 Major League games last season.
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