The pain in Danny Richar's upper back was so severe that he tried sleeping on the floor. He also felt uncomfortable turning his head while driving his car.
Those were the least of his troubles, however.
The strained back muscle likely will prevent the former Arizona Diamondbacks prospect and Tucson Sidewinder from breaking camp with the Chicago White Sox. Richar, Alexei Ramirez and Juan Uribe have been vying for the starting second base job.
After the injury flared up Wednesday, Richar was scratched from the starting lineup before the Sox's 10-10 tie with the Colorado Rockies at Tucson Electric Park. He was scheduled for an MRI on Wednesday.
Richar entered camp already at a disadvantage — the Dominican Republic native was a week late because of visa issues. He then injured the back swinging at an outside pitch in a game against the Rockies two weeks ago.
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"This is the worst time of my life," said Richar, whose back was wrapped in ice before Wednesday's game. "With the back, and I was late, I'm really frustrated."
With 10 games left on the schedule and manager Ozzie Guillen hoping to finalize the roster before the club departs in a week for a game in Oklahoma City, Richar appears headed to Triple-A Charlotte or the 15-day disabled list.
"We just want to see what his health is," Sox hitting coach Greg Walker said. "That'll determine everything. It's hard to make a club when he's not in the field. He really came in here with a good shot of making the team."
Richar said he still holds out hope of making the club, noting "a lot of things can happen."
But if he is still hurt, Richar said he is OK with starting the season at Triple-A.
"I know I can play in the big leagues," he said. "They know I can, too. Right now, I just need to be healthy."
Richar got his first taste of the big leagues last season, after the D-backs traded him to the Sox on June 16 for minor-league outfielder Aaron Cunningham. Richar was batting .285 after 66 games with the Sidewinders.
Richar said the trade surprised him but also excited him. Three-time Gold Glove winner Orlando Hudson is entrenched at second for the D-backs.
"They had too many infielders — Orlando Hudson, (Emilio) Bonifacio, at that time; they had (Alberto) Callaspo," Richar said of the D-backs system. "It looked like I had more opportunity here."
When the Sox traded second baseman Tadahito Iguchi to the Phillies on July 27, a spot opened for Richar to make his major-league debut the next day. He called Sidewinders manager Bill Plummer, who coached Richar throughout the minors, to share the news.
Richar showed power in 56 games last season with the Sox, blasting nine doubles, six home runs and three doubles. But he struggled with pitch selection, batting .230 and striking out 33 times. He said he learned to be more selective but also to be more aggressive.
"He showed he wasn't scared to play," Walker said. "We like fearless players."
Walker has worked with Richar to clean up his mechanics so that he waits on pitches longer. But his injury has slowed any progress. Guillen said he does not know if he can count on Richar, who has hit .364 in four games, for the start of the season.
"It's bad because he missed a lot of games because of (the) visa, and he missed a lot of games because of injury and re-injury again," Guillen said. "We've got to wait and see how he's going to react."
TODAY IN TUCSON
Tucson Electric Park
• Rangers vs. Diamondbacks, 1:05 p.m.
