Blue Jays righty Pearson aggravates strained right groin

<p>TORONTO &mdash; Blue Jays pitcher Nate Pearson aggravated his strained right groin during a bullpen session Tuesday, further decreasing the hard-throwing right-hander’s chance of making Toronto’s opening-day roster.</p>
<p>“We do feel it’s very mild in nature but want to re-asses that and then just take it a day at a time,” general manager Ross Atkins said.</p>
<p>Pearson strained his groin in his debut spring training outing March 1. He felt fine after a bullpen session Saturday, his first since the injury.</p>
<p>Right-hander Ross Stripling is expected to replace Pearson in Toronto’s rotation.</p>
<p>“Obviously Strip, with what he’s done in his career, has a leg up on that spot,” Atkins said.</p>
<p>A first-round pick in the 2017 amateur draft, Pearson is Toronto’s top pitching prospect. He made his major league debut last season, going 1-0 with a 6.00 ERA in four starts and one relief appearances. He missed five weeks in August and September because of a sore elbow.</p>
<hr />
<p>More AP MLB: <a href="https://apnews.com/hub/MLB">https://apnews.com/hub/MLB</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/AP_Sports">https://twitter.com/AP_Sports</a></p>