The Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher who had "absolutely zero excitement" for coming to Australia looks unlikely to make the trip down under after all.
Zack Greinke strained his right calf muscle and departed the mound just three pitches into his first start of MLB Spring Training.
Dodgers manager Don Mattingly hasn't ruled Greinke out for the historic opening series against the Arizona Diamondbacks on March 22-23 at the SCG, however the right-armer faces an uphill battle to get his workload up to scratch.
"I know he's feeling something in there," Mattingly said.
Greinke has been pulled out of a ballpen session and all-but scratched from his next pre-season start.
Despite Greinke's indifference to making the 16-hour flight to Sydney, his withdrawal would serve as a further blow to the Dodgers, who are already considering leaving their No.1 pitching ace Clayton Kershaw at home to rest.
While Greinke has been in equal parts praised and panned for his honest appraisal of Major League Baseball taking an opening series to Sydney, his Dodgers teammates have been on the front foot pledging their excitement for the event.
Cuban superstar Yasiel Puig has filmed an online video of him wielding a cricket bat, chanting "Aussie, Aussie, Aussie".
Veteran reliever Brian Wilson said professional sportsmen sometimes needed to suck up personal inconvenience and look at the bigger picture.
"OK, it's a long flight. We deal with tough travel all the time," Wilson said.
"At the end of the day, we're playing a sport. A lot of us get in the mindset that we deserve or are supposed to have certain amenities. We take things for granted.
"If promoting this game gives a kid a reason to play baseball, I see that as our duty. I'd like to be that reason, or at least part of it."
