FORT MYERS, Fla. — Brooks Lee is aware that his back might just be a problem that he has to manage for the rest of his life.

Lee was sidelined for more than two months last year with a herniated disc in his back, but the issues didn’t start then. It has been more like a decade, he said last month.

“I just grew too much,” he said of the origin of his back problems. “I took too many swings. I think that’s why.”

On Thursday, Lee was scratched from the Twins’ lineup with low back tightness. The Twins said they consider him to be day-to-day. Manager Rocco Baldelli said it was something that Lee mentioned Thursday morning.

“We’ll see how he comes in (Friday),” Baldelli said. “We’ll see how much it’s improved, if it’s improved and kind of go from there. There is nothing really else to be done, because we don’t think this is something more than potentially a muscle spasm. Let it rest and see where he’s at.”

For Lee, keeping his back feeling good means managing his workload, changing up his workouts, strengthening the core and undergoing treatment, he said in February.

“That’s been the biggest focus I’ve had for 10 years now, so it’s nothing new,” Lee said in February. “I’ve tried a lot of avenues. … I feel like I’ve gotten knowledgeable about it every year because everyone’s injury is different. You have to learn about it for yourself. So something that’s going to work for someone else isn’t going to work for you.”

The Twins are already down one third baseman — Royce Lewis will begin the season on the injured list with a moderate hamstring strain — meaning Lee, if his back feels better soon, should take on a greater role than he would have had otherwise.

The infielder, once one of the Twins’ top prospects, can play some second, back up at shortstop and is likely to see more playing time at third base with Lewis out.

Paddack strong

Chris Paddack touched 97 mph on Thursday, sat in the mid-90s with his four-seamer and carried his velocity through his 4 2/3-inning start. He ratcheted his pitch count up to 84, got 16 swing and misses and struck out seven in the process.

Put simply, there was a lot to like for the veteran starter, who gave up one run on four scattered hits in the Twins’ 2-1 win over the Boston Red Sox on Thursday night at Hammond Stadium.

“That’s a different animal,” Baldelli said. “It’s not maybe the way you would normally want to state it, but it’s true — it’s the best I’ve seen him pitch ever. … I think you’re seeing a guy that’s reaching different peaks right now.”

Paddack, too, was enthused after the outing. He noted he hadn’t gotten any swing and misses on his changeup this spring until Thursday, when Statcast registered four of them.

“I felt like tonight, season ready,” Paddack said. “On the same page with (catcher Christian Vázquez) since pitch No. 1. We had a game plan. I thought we did a great job executing.”

Briefly

Pablo López, the Twins’ Opening Day starter, will get his final tune-up of the spring on Friday when the Twins head to Clearwater to take on the Philadelphia Phillies. Simeon Woods Richardson will piggyback him and also work in that game. … Cole Sands, Danny Coulombe and Griffin Jax each threw a scoreless inning on Thursday. Coulombe and Jax recorded two strikeouts apiece while Sands fanned three.