MRI on Burnett's back reveals no damage

TEMPE, Ariz. -- An MRI on Sean Burnett's lower back didn't show any structural damage, revealing only the stiffness the Angels anticipated when he left camp early Monday.

Angels general manager Jerry Dipoto said that stiffness didn't result from any specific bullpen session, just through general soreness. While with the Nationals, the lefty reliever missed a little more than a week with lower-back stiffness in the middle of March, then four games in early April.

The Angels said the tests were done as a precautionary measure and also to get a better read on Burnett's history with the condition.

"We're not anticipating anything dramatic, but we want to be sure," Dipoto said before results were revealed. "Just get a baseline image to know what we're working from with Sean. He came in and he had some back tightness. We'd rather be safe than sorry."