JUPITER, Fla. -- Tigers left-hander Daniel Norris was a late scratch from his scheduled Grapefruit League start on Saturday against the Marlins at Roger Dean Stadium because of lower back stiffness, but manager Brad Ausmus said Norris should return to the mound Tuesday when the Blue Jays visit Lakeland.
Ausmus said that there doesn't appear to be anything serious with the injury, but that it was decided to scratch Norris as a precaution.
"He did something in the weight room," Ausmus said. "We just decided to push him back a couple days."
It would have been the fourth appearance and third spring start for Norris, who is 1-0 with a 6.00 ERA. His last start was on Monday against the Mets, when he allowed one run on three hits with four strikeouts in two innings of work.
Lefty Blaine Hardy, who was scheduled to pitch out of the bullpen on Saturday, replaced Norris as the Tigers' starter. It was the sixth appearance for Hardy, who worked around a hit and hit-by-pitch to escape the first unscathed.
• The game was called after two innings because of rain. All six batters who came to the plate for the Tigers struck out against Marlins starter Adam Conley.
• Miguel Cabrera, who played Friday in the Tigers' win against the Cardinals in Jupiter, was scheduled to play Saturday, too, but Ausmus said he decided to give the Tigers' slugger a day off.
"Changed my mind," Ausmus said. "He had four at-bats [Friday]."