The Cleveland Guardians submitted their lineup card late Friday afternoon as they prepared to open up a weekend series with the Los Angeles Angels.
Mike Zunino was in that starting lineup and penciled in to catch and bat eighth behind second baseman Andres Gimenez. But his name was scratched from the lineup just an hour and a half before the first pitch and Cam Gallagher took his place.
The team announced that he was no longer starting due to "neck stiffness."
After the Guardians dropped the opener, Terry Francona took to the podium and said this about Zunino's late scratch:
"He got a foul tip the other day and it kind of jagged his neck up a little bit. I think in the big picture he's going to be okay, it just might be a day or two. I think he was hoping he'd come in and loosen up and be ready to go.
Watch The Rest Of The Press Conference Here:
Zunino was brought in during the offseason to help the Guardians which their much-needed power issue. While he has hit a few home runs, the veteran catcher hasn't quite lived up to that expectation just yet.
He's currently batting .179 with an OPS of .643. Hopefully, Zunino can turn it around once he's fully healthy.
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