Cardinals manager Mike Matheny downplayed the back injury Lynn suffered during Saturday's Grapefruit League appearance, saying that he expects the right-hander to pitch Thursday in his final start of the spring, MLB.com's Jenifer Langosch reports.
Lynn threw just one inning Saturday after experiencing upper-back stiffness, which had resulted in a downturn in his velocity. His removal was deemed precautionary, however, and after meeting with a chiropractor after the outing, it doesn't sound like Lynn is at much risk of missing the start of the season. Matheny indicated that Lynn is expected to approach 80 pitches in his start Thursday, and if all goes well, he'll likely face no restrictions when he takes the hill for his first MLB start since 2015 in the first week of April.