Carlos Santana was struck in the head by a foul ball in the Indians' dugout
The dugout can be a very scary place, as Indians DH Carlos Santana found out Thursday.
Santana was sitting on a bench near the railing of the dugout during the fifth inning of the Indians’ 14-4 win over the Angels when a line drive off the bat of teammate Francisco Lindor struck him in the head. Santana fell off the bench and had to be helped to the clubhouse by trainers.
Luckily, it appears that Santana avoided serious injury, as he was diagnosed with a contusion but will be monitored for concussion symptoms. Manager Terry Francona provided this update to the team’s website after the game:
"By the time he left, he was really rallying. The good part of it was that, as hard as he got hit and as bad as it looked, for him to -- half-hour later -- to start to feel better really kind of made everybody feel better."
As for Lindor, he was shaken up by it all and continued to check on Santana after the accident.
"I feel terrible," Lindor said. "Obviously I'm not trying to do that. It's a moment you don't want. Nobody wants something like that. I feel bad. I couldn't get my mind off it. ... Hopefully, he doesn't miss any games. Maybe tomorrow and that's it."
The Indians, who lead the AL Central by four games, will continue their four-game series against the Angels tonight at Progressive Field. And you can be sure that Santana will find a safer spot in the dugout if he is on hand.
