DENVER – Colorado Rockies pitcher Ryan Feltner suffered a fractured skull and concussion after receiving a line drive from Philadelphia Phillies’ Nick Castellanos’ bat.
Feltner was injured Saturday night and is expected to be discharged from the Swedish Medical Center late Sunday. he doesn’t need surgery.
“Overall, he’s fine,” Colorado manager Bud Black said before Sunday’s game. “I think it’s a feeling that things could have been much worse.”
Feltner, 26, was placed on the 15-day injured list. “Probably longer,” Black said when asked if right-handed pitchers would be out for days, weeks or months.
Feltner was injured in the second inning when Castellanos hit a 92.7 mph slider on the mound. The ball hit Feltner on the right side of the back of his head and he fell to the ground. He lay on his stomach, assisted by two members of the Rockies’ athletic training staff. He was able to get up and walk off the field with the help of two trainers.
Black said Feltner was “still pretty lucid” and was texting with teammates, parents, the team’s medical staff and the manager on Saturday. Black said he thinks Feltner will return to the team on Monday or Tuesday.
“He just needs time for the fracture to heal and for the concussion to subside,” Black said. “From what I heard here this morning, things seem to be turning around.”
Feltner is 2-3 with a 5.86 ERA.
Right-hander Riley Pint was recalled from Triple-A Albuquerque, but the 25-year-old reliever is posting a 7.41 ERA in 13 games this season.
“At some point, we’re going to need a starter to replace Ryan,” said Black. “We’ll move forward with that process this week.”