After missing six games earlier in the month with a strained oblique muscle, Detroit Tigers outfielder Magglio Ordonez is once again feeling pain in his left side.
According to MLB.com's Jason Beck, the soreness is minor for now. But it might not take much to aggravate the injury once again, and that concerns Jim Leyland.
The soreness doesn't bother him on normal swings, Leyland said. It's when Magglio does something like reach for a ball, or check his swing, that he feels it. Whether it has anything to do with his 3-for-20 performance so far on the road trip isn't clear, but Leyland wants to make sure it doesn't develop into a bigger problem.
Could that pain be a reason for Ordonez's recent struggles? He's batted 3-for-20 on this road trip, including an 0-for-7 for two games in Atlanta before getting a day off on Sunday.
Beck says to expect Ordonez in the lineup for tonight's series opener versus the Minnesota Twins, however. Especially because of his success against Francisco Liriano. Ordonez is 8-for-24 in that matchup, with two home runs and eight RBIs.