Frelick (left side tightness) expected to be fine after early exit

KANSAS CITY -- Brewers right fielder Sal Frelick exited Game 2 of Saturday's doubleheader against the Royals at Kauffman Stadium with left side tightness, the club announced. Both manager Pat Murphy and Frelick said after the game they considered the tightness the outfielder felt would not be a serious issue.

Frelick was taken out in the fourth inning, after he singled to left-center field and ran awkwardly up the first-base line before showing signs of discomfort.

“He’s going to be fine,” Murphy said. “It seems like it’s more muscular than anything. We were worried it was an oblique, and Sal is so competitive that he’s not going to take himself out, so we had to force him out. In testing, he was fine.”

Murphy and a trainer came out and conversed with Frelick before making the decision to insert pinch-runner Brandon Lockridge. It looked like Frelick had the opportunity to get to second base, but jogged uncomfortably down the line and stopped at first.

“Back is a little tight, but I don’t think there is too much to it,” Frelick said. “I think just sitting around after the first game and going on to the second game, it tightened up a little. I was trying to stay in.”

Frelick is batting .192 with a .690 OPS in eight games this season. He struck out against Royals starter Seth Lugo in his first at-bat before getting his base hit in the fourth.

The Brewers won 5-2 in Game 1 of the doubleheader with Frelick playing the whole game.