Rays OF Whitley suffers facial fractures from foul ball

Tampa Bay Rays minor league outfielder Garrett Whitley is out indefinitely with multiple facial fractures, manager Kevin Cash said Tuesday.

Whitley was released from the hospital on Monday night after being injured during a spring training game in Sarasota, Fla.

Whitley will see a battery of specialists for advice on a rehabilitation schedule in his recovery from multiple injuries, but Cash said there was no damage to Whitley's eye when he was struck by a foul ball Monday.

(Photo via AP)

Whitley was seated inside the third-base dugout in the fourth inning when right-handed-hitting Renato Nunez of the Baltimore Orioles pulled a pitch and sent a scorcher toward Whitley. The ball cleared the grass, struck a dugout step and then slammed into Whitley's face.

"Thank you to everyone who reached out with well wishes today. I truly appreciate every single one of you," Whitley said via Twitter on Monday.

Whitley, who turns 23 on March 13, batted .226 with 10 home runs and 40 RBIs for Class-A Charlotte last season. He was a first-round draft pick (13th overall) in 2015. He missed the 2018 season after undergoing surgery for a torn labrum in his right shoulder.

--Field Level Media