Rays Top Prospect Garrett Whitley Has Multiple Facial Fractures After Being Struck by Foul Ball

Garrett Whitley had been highly regarded as one of the Tampa Bay Rays' top prospects since he was drafted in the first round of the 2015 MLB Draft. After an injury in 2018, however, he's dropped further down the Rays' top prospect rankings, and this accident might serve as another setback.

His misfortune has continued, as during a Spring Training game against the Baltimore Orioles on Monday, Whitley was struck in the face by a foul ball while in the dugout. It has now been confirmed by Rays manager Kevin Cash that Whitley has multiple facial fractures, and will miss time.

Garrett Whitley has multiple facial fractures after being struck by foul ball, per Cash. Will miss some time.
— Josh Tolentino (@JCTSports) March 3, 2020

Whitley apparently didn't lose consciousness and was not bleeding extensively, according to Cash. After the incident, Whitley was taken to the hospital immediately for X-Rays and scans, and then was sent home to rest.

After the shock of the initial incident, infielder Joey Wendle said that although he didn't see it happen, he'd heard good things about his teammates condition. Thankfully, things weren't as bad as they could have been.

Here is the scary scene in Sarasota as Garrett Whitley of the Rays takes a foul ball to the face while in the dugout, ouch. pic.twitter.com/JswrQMVZS9
— Barstool Are Dee Tee (@editti22) March 2, 2020

Hopefully for the Rays, Whitley can recover quickly and return to his top prospect form.