The Milwaukee Brewers had Ryan Braun in their lineup Wednesday night as the designated hitter in an exhibition game against the Chicago White Sox.
Braun was hitless in four at-bats.
Braun had missed recent intrasquad games, raising concerns about his availability for the season opener Friday against the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field. Braun and the Brewers were more confident Wednesday about his potential to be ready for that game.
"My back locked up a little bit. As you guys know who are around us every day, I have a history of dealing with some back things off and on, and then I think my oblique was probably just compensating for the back, and obviously with the expedited preparation process, it's challenging," Braun said before Wednesday's game. "It presented some unique challenges for all of us, but certainly for guys like me who are very routine oriented and have been doing it a certain way for a long time.''