Tampa Bay Rays minor league outfielder Garrett Whitley was struck by a foul ball in the dugout Monday during the team’s spring training game with the Orioles.
The team said Whitley has “a right facial injury” and will undergo further testing.
Orioles infielder Renato Nunez fouled a ball off and sent it rocketing toward the Rays’ dugout. The baseball bounced off the steps in the dugout and directly hit the right side of Whitley’s face. Trainers immediately attended to the 22-year-old outfielder then walked him out of the dugout and into the trainer’s room for further evaluation.
Rays manager Kevin Cash said Whitley never lost consciousness during the initial examination and was having X-rays at a hospital in Sarasota.
“He stayed coherent the whole time,” Cash said, adding “That was pretty scary.”