Astros center fielder George Springer was carted off the field during Tuesday's loss to the Brewers (MIL 4, HOU 2) and evaluated for head injuries following a scary collision with the wall in center field.
Here's the play in question:
As you can see Springer hit his head against the wall -- hard -- as he tumbled making the catch. He was initially in obvious pain, and then was down on the field for several minutes while being attended do.
That's obviously a scary injury, as is anything having anything to do with a player's head, and it's not yet certain how long Springer will be out. Here's more from Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle:
"He's doing OK," Astros manager A.J. Hinch said. "He's doing well given all the circumstances of running into a wall. Made a great catch. It was scary for all of us when we got out there."
Details were scarce in the immediate aftermath. Hinch labeled Springer "day to day" and said he would receive a "gauntlet" of tests for what the team described as a "head injury." Springer was scheduled to fly back to Houston with the club. He was unavailable for comment after the game.
As Rome notes, fellow outfielder Josh Reddick says Springer never lost consciousness. Even so, the obvious concern is a concussion, which can cause disabling symptoms for weeks or even months after. Fortunately, it appears that Springer has avoided major injury:
Springer in his age-29 campaign has been a vital part of the Astros' success this season. In 105 games, he's slashed .297/.389/.573 (150 OPS+) with 30 home runs.
The Astros have a relatively secure lead in the AL West, but they're still locked in a struggle with the Yankees and Dodgers for best overall record in MLB and the rights to home-field advantage throughout the postseason that go with it. They're already without shortstop Carlos Correa, who hasn't played since Aug. 19 because of lower-back stiffness, so the hope is that Springer will indeed need to miss just "a day or two" despite how scary the injury looked at first.