Miami Marlins third baseman Martin Prado is expected to miss the start of the regular season after straining his right hamstring at the World Baseball Classic.
Marlins manager Don Mattingly already has ruled out Prado playing in any exhibition games.
"Obviously it's never good, but I'm encouraged it's a Grade 1," Mattingly said. "From there we just kind of wait until he's ready, honestly. We hope that he misses as little as possible, but we're going to definitely err on the side of caution."
A Grade I strain is considered the least severe.
Playing for Team Venezuela, Prado injured his hamstring running out a ground ball in the sixth inning of Wednesday's loss to Team USA.
The Marlins are not attaching a timeline to his return to the lineup.
A career .293 hitter, Prado batted .305 and drove in 75 runs last season.
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• Cleveland outfielder Michael Brantley is expected to make his exhibition debut on Monday when the Indians host the Los Angeles Dodgers. Brantley played in only 11 games last year following right shoulder surgery and has been easing his way back in training camp.
