Jonathon Niese felt pain in his pitching shoulder during the fourth inning against the Braves on Thursday.

Niese also noticed a drop in his velocity as his shoulder felt "really weak."

After alerting New York's staff, he was removed from the game.

"I felt pain on every pitch," Niese said. "It wasn't worth it."

Niese had been battling what the team has labeled shoulder tendinitis for several weeks, even missing a start while avoiding the disabled list.