PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. (AP) — New York Mets first baseman Ike Davis admits he concealed a nagging oblique strain from the team last year but claims the injury wasn't a factor in his poor performance.

Speaking Monday, Davis confirmed a story that first appeared Sunday on the New York Post's website.

Says Davis: "It's just an overblown thing. Everyone has injuries and then they get hurt. So it was pointless to write an article. I sucked last year because I sucked. It's not because I had an injury. You always have injuries. And now it just looks bad. I didn't want the article to come out, and it did."

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