Latest news with #HunterBigge
Forbes
23-07-2025
- Sport
- Forbes
Rays Pitcher Hunter Bigge Recovering Nicely One Month After Being Struck By Foul Ball
Tampa Bay Rays pitcher Hunter Bigge, recovering from taking a line drive foul ball to the face June ... More 19, spoke to the media July 21 at Steinbrenner Field. Hunter Biggie was lying on the dugout floor in a fog and with blood in his mouth. He was able to move his feet, which was no small detail as he did his best to take inventory and grasp what had just happened. Within minutes, he was being wheeled through the emergency room doors of St. Joseph's Hospital. 'When I got hit, I had no idea what happened,' he said when meeting with the media prior to the Tampa Bay Rays game against the visiting Chicago White Sox on Monday. 'I was in a daze worried about my brain and worried about moving my body. I started moving my feet around while I was in the dugout and that made me feel really good. The fact I was worried about my brain, I guess my brain is probably okay.' There was much laughter as the 27-year-old spoke of his brain. Fortunately, he can laugh now, one month after a very scary incident at Steinbrenner Field. Plenty of support The way Bigge appeared as he was speaking to the media in the Rays' clubhouse, one would not suspect that he took a scorching (105 mph) foul ball off the right side of his face, let alone all of one month earlier. The Rays' dugout is on the first base side of cozy Steinbrenner Field and the ball came off the bat of switch-hitter Adley Rutschman, batting from the left side against righthanded pitcher Connor Seabold, at a seemingly impossible angle. A broken orbital bone is understandably a primary concern given Bigge would not want to risk damage to his vision. He gives his overall progress a thumbs up, much like that of which he gave as he was carted off the field, to the relief of every pair of eyeballs looking on. 'Very grateful to the Rays community and my family and my wife (Casey),' said Bigge, who has a bachelor's in physics from Harvard. 'She made sure I was getting smoothies and soft foods to make sure I didn't lose much weight. She has been a nurse the past month making sure that I have been very comfortable.' Likewise, the training staff has performed yeoman's work tending to the Orlando native. Their diligence, along with that of medical personnel, was vital. Assistant athletic trainer Aaron Scott immediately tended to the pitcher, who was on the 15-day IL at the time with a right lat strain. "I am really grateful for the athletic training staff,' he said. 'Aaron was on me immediately telling me everything was going to be okay, and the paramedics did a great job getting me out of the (ballpark). They took good care of me and said I was stable.' Bigge said he was told his face was 'pretty messed up.' While that was hardly a surprise, he was assured that he would be out of St. Joe's in short order, which he was. In the interim, he had ample visitors, including Rays head trainer Joe Benge, manager Kevin Cash and general manager Erik Neander. Bigge's phone would not stop buzzing as calls and texts from well-wishers, including those who had an idea of what he was enduring, piled up. 'Players who went through something similar reached out to me, and it was really nice to hear from them and share what they experienced,' said Bigge, who was discharged after less than three full days. Hopeful of pitching soon As Bigge continues to recover from the unfortunate incident, he is allowing for the possibility of appearing in a big league game before the 2025 season reaches the finish line. 'That is my goal, for sure,' he said. 'We will see how it goes. I think a lot of it is going to be based on how my face responds, how I am feeling. My orbital (bone) broke, so I don't want to do anything that would cause more damage to my eye.' Bigge, who was acquired from the Cubs along with Christopher Morel in exchange for Isaac Paredes at last year's trade deadline, had a 2.40 ERA in 13 outings prior to being placed on the IL earlier this season. While the hope is that it will not be his final stat line, he understands it truly is a day-to-day situation and nothing he would want to force. 'I think as long as I am checking boxes and slowly progressing, we will see how things go,' he said. 'I would love to pitch again soon.' Bigge has been working out, getting in some squats and shoulder exercises. So far, so good. 'Other than normal muscular soreness, I think I have been responding pretty well,' he said. 'The more I am doing, the more I feel like myself.'
Yahoo
25-06-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Nationals catcher Ruiz placed on IL a day after getting hit on the head with a foul ball
Washington Nationals relief pitcher Kyle Finnegan, left, and catcher Keibert Ruiz celebrate after the team's win in a baseball game against the Seattle Mariners Thursday, May 29, 2025, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Ryan Sun) SAN DIEGO (AP) — Washington Nationals catcher Keibert Ruiz was placed on the 10-day injured list on Tuesday, a day after getting struck on the head by a foul ball off the bat of teammate Josh Bell while in the dugout. The Nationals said Ruiz has a head bruise. Advertisement Catcher Drew Millas was recalled from Triple-A Rochester. He hit .247 with four homers and 25 RBIs in 52 games. The foul ball hit Ruiz on a bounce. He grabbed his head with both hands and immediately left the dugout. He was replaced by Riley Adams. Ruiz had a CT scan after his team's 10-6 victory, Bell wound up hitting a sacrifice fly as part of a four-run fourth inning. It was the second time in five days a major league player got hurt in the dugout when nailed by a foul ball. Rays pitcher Hunter Bigge was carted off the field in a frightening scene and taken to a hospital after getting struck in the face when Baltimore catcher Adley Rutschman lined a ball into the Tampa Bay dugout last Thursday night. Advertisement Bigge was placed on a backboard and gave a thumbs up before being driven by ambulance to a nearby hospital for tests. He never lost consciousness and was able to converse with first responders, Rays manager Kevin Cash said. ___ AP MLB:
Daily Mail
24-06-2025
- Sport
- Daily Mail
Frightening moment MLB star Keibert Ruiz is rushed to hospital after being struck in head by foul ball
Washington Nationals star Keibert Ruiz was hit in the head by a lasered foul ball off the bat of teammate Josh Bell on Monday night, forcing him to leave the game and go to the hospital. Ruiz was starting as the Nationals' catcher against the San Diego Padres on Monday night, helping not allow a run through three innings. Then came Bell's fourth-inning at-bat against Stephen Kolek, who tossed a 91-mile-per-hour cutter into the bottom half of the strike zone. Bell only got a piece, sending the ball into his own dugout. The Nationals' commentators knew immediately the pitch struck someone in the Washington dugout, with Ruiz appearing holding his head, just above his right eye and heading to the locker room in pain. Ruiz exited the game to go to the hospital for a CT scan, with Nationals manager Dave Martinez not giving an immediate update on his catcher's condition. 'The ball hit him pretty solid on the side of the head,' Martinez said. 'We all ducked and when he went down, we kind of got scared a little bit. He had a nice lump on the side of his head. A little concerned right now. Hopefully, he comes out of it OK.' Washington has yet to officially confirm Ruiz's status in the hours since Martinez's last media availability. Per TalkNats, the team is expecting to be without Ruiz for at least a week after the unfortunate incident. This is the second scary incident of its kind in an MLB dugout this month, with Tampa Bay Rays pitcher Hunter Bigge taking line drive from the bat of Baltimore Orioles catcher Adley Rutschman last week. Bell ended up hitting a sacrifice fly during the at-bat where Ruiz was hit, helping extend Washington's lead. The Nationals hung on for the 10-6 victory with Riley Adams taking Ruiz's place behind the plate. Washington is not having a campaign to remember, sitting 14.5 games back of the Philadelphia Phillies in the National League East.
Fox News
21-06-2025
- Sport
- Fox News
Rays pitcher Hunter Bigge released from hospital after being struck in face by 105 mph foul ball
The Tampa Bay Rays have more to celebrate Saturday than just the team's win over the Detroit Tigers. Rays pitcher Hunter Bigge, who was struck by a 105 mph foul ball while standing in the team's dugout during Thursday night's game against the Baltimore Orioles, has been released from the hospital after undergoing surgery to address multiple facial fractures, Adam Berry, a Rays beat reporter for reported Saturday. According to the report, Bigge also stopped by the stadium during the Rays' 8-3 win over the Tigers. The positive update followed president of baseball operations Erik Neander's comments on WDAE Friday that "the most concerning outcomes have been ruled out." The incident described by players and managers as "terrifying" unfolded in the top of the seventh inning when a ball off the bat of Orioles catcher Adley Rutschman drove straight toward the Rays' dugout, striking Bigge on the right side of his face. He was placed on a backboard after receiving medical attention. Despite a bloodied face, Bigge gave a thumbs-up to fans who looked on in fear. He was taken to a hospital for further evaluation, but Rays manager Kevin Cash said after the game Bigge never lost consciousness and was able to speak with first responders. "It's really scary. It's terrifying. We sit in these dugouts every night, and, in a lot of ways, you kind of feel like a sitting duck," Orioles interim manager Tony Mansolino said after the game. "It's just terrifying." Rays pitcher Ryan Pepiot said he was standing near Bigge when Bigge was hit. He called it "one of the scariest things I've ever seen." "You see the ball coming at you, and we all ducked. You could hear the contact it made and then see him fall backwards," Pepiot said, via "I mean, honestly, like, I almost threw up. I'm not good with blood or anything like that. But just seeing that, just like how close it was, it was one of the scariest things I've ever seen. Bigge is on the 15-day injured list with a lat strain. He has a 2.40 ERA in 13 relief outings covering 15 innings this season. Follow Fox News Digital's sports coverage on X, and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.
Yahoo
21-06-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Rays pitcher Hunter Bigge 'in good spirits' after taking 105 mph line drive to head
It sounds like Hunter Bigge is going to be OK after taking a 105 mph line drive to the head on Thursday. Tampa Bay Rays manager Kevin Cash visited the pitcher at the hospital on Friday and told reporters he was doing well, one day after being carted off Steinbrenner Field in a stretcher. From Adam Berry: 'Getting to see Hunter and talk to him, he was in good spirits,' Cash said. 'Not a ton of information other than that, but for me, personally, witnessing and watching what took place yesterday, to see how he was today and being able to interact, we're heading in a really good direction.' Advertisement Bigge's wife Casey is reportedly with him in the hospital and his parents flew to Tampa from San Francisco on Thursday night to see him. The injury occurred in the seventh inning of the Rays' 4-1 loss to the Baltimore Orioles on Thursday. Orioles catcher Adley Rutschman hit a foul ball off Tampa Bay pitcher Connor Seabold that found Bigge in the dugout. Not only did it hit Bigge square in the head, he also appeared to have a pretty hard fall from the dugout rail. It was immediately clear something was very wrong, with Rays trainer Joe Benge soon calling for paramedics. With the crowd silent, a cart and stretcher were brought to the dugout and Bigge was wheeled out, giving a thumbs up as he left the field. Rays pitcher Ryan Pepiot painted a grim picture of the scene to 'You see the ball coming at you, and we all ducked. You could hear the contact it made and then see him fall backwards,' Pepiot said. 'I mean, honestly, like, I almost threw up. I'm not good with blood or anything like that. But just seeing that, just like how close it was, it was one of the scariest things I've ever seen. Hunter Bigge appears to be in a good place, after being in the wrong one at the wrong time. (AP Photo/Jason Behnken) (ASSOCIATED PRESS) Fortunately, Bigge reportedly never lost consciousness and was conversational as he was being treated. The Rays sounded optimistic about his prognosis after the game, and it appears Friday brought its own good news. A Harvard product, Bigge is in his second season in the majors and joined the Rays as part of the Isaac Paredes trade with the Chicago Cubs last season. He holds a 2.40 ERA in 15 innings this season.
