SARASOTA, Fla. — Barry Larkin says he isn't worried, but Reds fans probably are.

        Larkin had to leave Thursday night's game against the New York Yankees with discomfort in his lower abdomen.

        “If it was my groin, I'd be worried,” Larkin said. “But it's not my groin. We did all kinds of stress tests, and (the groin) was fine.”

        Larkin missed all but 45 games last year with a torn right groin muscle and a sports hernia.

        Larkin, the 37-year-old shortstop, thinks the discomfort is related to hernia surgery he had Aug.24.

        “My surgeon told me that I'd have some irritation from the mesh she used to repair the hernia,” he said. “I think that's what it is. I feel it when I do a sit-up.”

        Larkin said he felt the pain earlier in the day.

        “They told me to watch it and take it easy,” Larkin said.

        Larkin made one routine play in the first inning and struck out with an awkward swing in the bottom of the first.

        “That was a function of not using my legs,” Larkin said.

        Larkin was not scheduled to play in tonight's game at Lakeland against Detroit.

        “I was going to take (batting practice) and some groundballs,” he said. “I'll probably just come in and get treatment.”

        Thursday was the ninth game Larkin has played in this spring. He is hitting .288 with four RBI.

        “I feel pretty good as far as baseball shape,” he said. “A couple days off won't hurt.”

Larkin leaves game against Yankees Reds have big plans for final games Reds notebook Yankees 2, Reds 1 Baseball notebook

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