9:34PM: The Rockies announced that Feltner was discharged from the hospital.
TODAY, 12:28PM: The Rockies announced that Feltner has been placed on the 15-day IL with a skull fracture. As relayed by MLB Network’s Jenny Cavnar, manage Bud Black described Feltner’s fracture as small, and notes that Feltner also suffered a concussion. Feltner will hopefully be released from the hospital later this afternoon, per Black.
May 14: In a terrifying moment, Rockies starter Ryan Feltner was hit in the head with a Nick Castellanos line drive in the second inning of tonight’s game. Feltner immediately dropped to the ground but seemed alert and coherent, and he left the field under his own power, with some assistance from team trainers.
Following the game, Rockies manager Bud Black told reporters (including Patrick Lyons of the DNVR Rockies podcast) that Feltner was undergoing tests at a local hospital, and that details of those tests would be known tomorrow. It would seem probable that Feltner will be placed on the seven-day concussion injured list for at least precautionary purposes, and if he is able to recover quickly from any symptoms, he might not even miss a start since the Rockies have an off-day on Thursday.
Feltner allowed four runs on four walks and two hits in the first inning of Saturday’s start, and his ERA now sits at 5.86 through 35 1/3 innings and eight starts for Colorado this season. It seemed like Feltner was getting on track after a trio of nice starts from April 20-May 3, but his last outing was also rough, as he allowed four runs in 3 1/3 frames against the Mets on May 7.
This is the 26-year-old Feltner’s third MLB season, after being selected by the Rockies in the fourth round of the 2018 draft. He had only a 6.16 ERA through 103 2/3 innings (starting 21 of 22 games) in 2021-22, but a lack of pitching depth ensured Feltner would get another shot in Colorado’s rotation this year. That depth has been even further stretched by German Marquez’s season-ending Tommy John surgery, Antonio Senzatela being limited to two starts due to recovery from knee surgery and his current elbow sprain, rookie Noah Davis on the 15-day IL with elbow inflammation, and now the possibility that Feltner could miss time.
Yikes. Worst part of the game.
Wouldn’t be surprised to see MLB test prototypes for head protection in the independent league they use as a Petri dish.
A few pitchers wear a protective band inside their caps, but that wouldn’t have made a difference the way Feltner got hit. He’s the second pitcher and fifth player overall to get hit in the face by a ball since spring training.
He didn’t get hit in the face; he got his head turned so it hit him low on the back of his head, or maybe the back of the neck.
Still scary, but the way he was able to walk off under his own power and the lack of blood suggest that he escaped serious injury.
Probably also helped that it wasn’t a screaming line drive, “only” 92 mph off the bat I think is what they said.
The next time you go to the batting cages, set the machine on 90 mph and then try to catch the ball. Now imagine that hitting your head anywhere. It fractured his skull.
Not sure which was worse Feltner or Juan Nicasio. MLB will discuss it for a short time, then forget about it rill the the next one.
Not sure which was worse Feltner or Juan Nicasio. MLB will discuss it for a short time, then forget about it rill the the next one….
They have already done so with at least one design. Pitchers complained the protection made the cap heavy enough to throw off their mechanics.
I think a better suggestion is coach pitchers to finish their delivery in a fielding position. That’s what I was taught. That’d provide extra milliseconds to react.
Geez, the Rockies just can’t catch a break.
Scary stuff, hopefully he’s okay.
I watched it live. First time I have ever seen a head shot in real time. It looked like Feltner got his head turned in time to lessen the blow. I’m sure it still hurt like hell, but it would seem to be better to get hit in the back of the head instead of the face. At the very least he had the cap to somewhat cushion the blow. It definitely looked like he got his bell rung, but it wasn’t bloody at all. At least not visibly. Hope he is OK regardless.
A regular cap does essentially nothing to cushion the blow. It’s been several years since there was any emphasis on developing head protection for pitchers, and it needs to be revisited.
Anything is better than nothing. In my life, I have bumped my head against a table with a cap and bumped my head against a table without a cap. With a cap, it hurt. Without a cap, I got a bloody knot.
Granted, that is not the same as getting hit with a 90+ MPH baseball. But it does show that there is a bit of difference.
That sounds like a scientific comparison!? Because there was not blood as commented by a few of you, doesn’t warrant that it isn’t a serious injury. Ended up being a skull fracture and in case if there were bleeding within the brain(which he avoided) it’s far worse than external bleeding.
Bumping a table is nothing like a 100 mph baseball striking your skull.
Sorry. There aren’t too many brain surgeons commenting on this website, so you’ll just have to deal with my anecdotal evidence. If you prefer the more scientific approach, I am sure there are places for that as well.
It’s called an analogy.
Pitchers should wear a catcher’s mask. Maybe one of those Welders masks.
Don’t give Manfred any ideas. They’ll probably lobby for hitting the ball off a tee or using a spinner like a board game. “Okay, Adley. It says ‘walk’. Take your base”
Rutschman (grumbling) This is so stupid.
Alex Torres wore a very bulky prototype padded cap when he pitched for the Mets in 2015. Hopefully in the eight years since then there’s been something developed that’s still protective while being less unwieldy.
Oh god. Not the Great Gazoo cap.
Like they do in college softball?
The Alex Torres cap liner was a multi-strike helmet, what they need to develop is a one-time protector. Something discarded after an impact. It could be thinner and take much of the blow away. Conceptually, look at the design difference between a multi-strike skateboarder helmet versus a single wreck bicycle helmet.
The problem with any protection is that longhairs or bulky/uneven hair won’t work and cries of racism will surely occur… It’s America, that’s how we roll.
So worried for him, praying for a full recovery.
Also, could not help but be jaw dropped it was Castellanos with a deep drive…
Prayers for a speedy recovery and no lasting issues.
No SKULL fracture is small.
This kind of thing is happening more and more…
It hasn’t been all that long since no NHL players wore helmets. Now they all wear helmets.
After the death of Dale Earnhardt, Nascar had to change lots of things to make the sport safer for the drivers. They changed the cars, they changed the drivers’ personal protection equipment, and they changed the tracks.
The NFL has never taken head injuries seriously.
Virtually every pitcher in baseball now is throwing fastballs in the mid-90’s or upper 90’s. That means the line drives coming back at them have more velocity than ever before. It is time for baseball to recognize the problem and take the problem seriously. Baseball needs to take the health of it’s players seriously and mandate some type of head protection for pitchers. The technology exists to develop a piece of pitcher specific head gear that isn’t too intrusive for the pitcher.
I swear that team’s luck is just astoundingly bad. And it never turns.
Any size skull fracture is definitely very concerning. Prayers up, hope he makes a full recovery
A head protection device with reactive armor on the outside. Now that would be entertaining!