The Seattle Mariners have announced that outfielder Mitch Haniger ruptured a testicle after a foul ball hit him in the groin, Friday.
The injury occurred during Thursday evening’s game when Haniger fouled a ball from Houston Astros pitcher Justin Verlander in the third inning, according to Fox News.
Haniger swung and tipped the ball but did not get a good piece of it, causing the ball to deflect into his groin.
The 28-year-old outfielder continued playing, Thursday, and even had another at-bat before bowing out by the seventh inning. The Mariners ultimately lost to the Astros 8-7 after a 14-inning game. The Astros took three of the four-game series.
The next day the pain was worse, and he went to a hospital. The resulting exam revealed the full extent of his injury and surgery was performed.
Haniger was added to the team’s wildly growing number of injurries as the outfielder joins ten other Mariners on the injured list. The team had no timetable for Haniger’s return.
This season, the All-Star Game candidate is batting .220 with 15 home runs and 32 RBI in 63 games. After one season with the Diamondbacks, Haniger moved to the Mariners and was an All-Star last year. He ended the season 11th in AL MVP voting, hitting .285 with 26 home runs, 93 RBI and a .859 OPS.
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