SARASOTA, Fla. — Baltimore Orioles star Trey Mancini underwent surgery Thursday to remove a malignant tumor from his colon.

The tumor was discovered last week during a colonoscopy, team officials said. Lab results and the timetable for Mancini’s recovery will not be known until next week.

Mancini left the team on Saturday. The Orioles provided few details at the time, except to say he was slated to undergo “a non-baseball medical procedure.”

In a statement released by the team Thursday, Mancini said, “The outpouring of love and support I have received has made an extremely tough week so much better. … I would like to thank everyone for their prayers and kind words, which have furthered my excitement to get back to playing the game I love.”

Mancini, who turns 28 next Wednesday, batted .291 with 35 home runs and 97 RBI last season while playing the outfield, at first base and as a designated hitter. He also had a career-best .364 on-base percentage.

Mancini was one of few bright spots for the rebuilding Orioles last season. In addition to playing in 154 games and leading the team in homers and RBI, Mancini played the role of clubhouse leader on a team filled with youthful players.

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Though Baltimore has lost more than 100 games in each of the last two years, Mancini has been a standout offensively. In 2018, his second full season, he hit 24 home runs over 156 games.

Mancini made $575,500 last year. After reaching career highs in homers and RBI, he was given a raise to $4.75 million in 2020.

“We are doing everything in our power to ensure Trey recovers fully, and we can’t wait to see him back on the field as soon as possible,” General Manager Mike Elias said.

NATIONALS: Pitcher Max Scherzer was pleased with his first bullpen session after being scratched from a scheduled start.

“It was good, was able to throw all pitches,” Scherzer said.

The 35-year-old right-hander missed Tuesday’s game because of fatigue in the muscles on the right side of his body, in the area of the latissimus dorsi, serratus and oblique muscles. Scherzer is to pitch next in an intrasquad scrimmage.

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“We just want him to go down there and get his work in and be in a controlled environment,” Washington Manager Dave Martinez said. “We’re just going to try to get him his five or six innings.”

Scherzer has made three spring training starts. He last pitched on March 3, allowing two runs in 3 1/3 innings.

A three-time Cy Young Award winner, Scherzer was 11-7 with a 2.92 ERA last year, when he pitched 172 1/3 innings during the regular season and 30 more in the postseason. He endured two separate stints on the injured list last season, the first time with inflammation under his right shoulder and the second, after making one return start, with a rhomboid strain.

INDIANS: Francisco Lindor didn’t want to discuss money or his future. This certainly wasn’t the time.

Just days after the four-time All-Star shortstop and Gold Glove winner broke off talks with Cleveland about a long-term contract extension so he could focus on an upcoming season now further away, Lindor spoke passionately about hope and humanity.

Shortly after Lindor spoke at the team’s training facility, Major League Baseball announced its pushing Opening Day back two weeks and immediately suspending spring training games.

“It kind of seems like the contract thing is very little compared to what’s happening,” said Lindor. “Hopefully, we can get through this situation we’re going through right now. To all the people with health issues, the contract doesn’t matter.”

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