JUPITER, Fla. _ The day after a spring training mishap sent the Marlins' Ichiro Suzuki to the trainer's room for the first time in his major league career, the future Hall of Famer was walking gingerly and skipped the team workout.
Ichiro said he was most bothered by the knock he took to the quadriceps above his right knee in a collision Tuesday with non-roster invitee Brandon Barnes during a drill in the outfield.
The Japanese star also complained of discomfort in his lower back following the incident, but Wednesday morning he said, "Right now right above the knee hurts the most, but we'll see where we're at."
Ichiro was favoring his leg as he left the clubhouse on the way to work out on his personal exercise machines in a trailer behind the Marlins' main building.
"I think the next day is probably going to be the worst. A little pain," Ichiro said via his interpreter, Allen Turner, adding, "I won't do anything on the field (Wednesday). Just stay in and maybe do some light machine work and some treatments."
The incident occurred during a drill to promote outfield communication, with Ichiro in center field and Barnes in right. On balls hit into the gaps, corner outfielders are supposed to give way when the center fielder calls for the ball.
On one ball hit to right-center, Ichiro and Barnes apparently didn't hear each other and they collided.
"We both yelled for the ball at the same exact time," Barnes said afterward.
Although Ichiro left the field for treatment, the incident was a source of some levity in the clubhouse.
Teammates cleared out Barnes' locker and posted a sign that read, "You're cut! Good luck in Korea." Ichiro signed the note and made light of their encounter.
But the day after showed that even a seemingly minor ailment can be troublesome.
Ichiro said he will "just kind of take it day by day and see how I feel."
Marlins manager Don Mattingly noted the rarity of Ichiro missing a workout, saying, "He deserves it after how many years _ 17 years or something _ a day off."
Ichiro, entering his 17th season in the majors, has been on the disabled list only once since coming to the United States, for a bleeding ulcer in 2009. His previous visits to the trainer's room were in Japan where the massage specialists work.
Mattingly was uncertain how much time Ichiro would miss.
"Off the field today; we'll see how he feels," Mattingly said. "He probably feels the quad more today, just because of the knee there. But probably the back is something we'll make sure that we get away from that as time goes. But we feel pretty good about it."
