CHICAGO (AP) - Chicago Cubs outfielder Tyler Colvin remained hospitalized in Miami on Monday, a day after his season ended when part of a shattered bat wound up puncturing his chest.
“You never want to have a season end early, and I’m disappointed that I’m not going to be able to make it through the finish line with the rest of my teammates,” Colvin said in a statement released by the team. “That being said, I couldn’t be more thankful for the Cubs organization, my teammates and the opportunity to play for Cubs fans my rookie season.”
Colvin was standing at third base in the second inning of Chicago’s 13-3 victory at Florida on Sunday when he was struck by a sliver of Welington Castillo’s broken bat. Castillo doubled on the play and Colvin scored.
A Cubs trainer said Colvin was hit in his upper chest, allowing air into his chest well and potentially into his lungs. He was being treated with a chest tube to prevent a collapsed lung and was expected to remain at a Miami hospital for a few more days for observation.
The issue of maple bats and how they shatter has been something that Major League Baseball has studied. Orioles manager Buck Showalter brought it up Monday.
“You see that guy get hit with the bat yesterday,” he said. “Why does that have to happen? It’s just surprising to me that it hasn’t happened before to anyone, the fans or the umpires.”
Cubs manager Mike Quade said he had never seen anything like it before. But he didn’t suggest there was a controversy.
“I have no opinion on that right now,” he said after the game. “Somebody with a better knowledge of physics, density of wood, I think would be better. I think players want bats that are lighter and maybe thinner. There’s probably too many variables for me to have an opinion.”
Cubs infielder Jeff Baker said he uses ash bats.
“I saw an umpire get slashed on the neck in Kansas City and it’s just not worth it to me,” he said. “I don’t want that on my conscience if something happens and someone gets hurt. I just use ash and go from there.”
Castillo said he has used maple bats his entire career.
“It wasn’t my fault,” he said. “I didn’t want to hit him on purpose. That’s just baseball. It happens.”
In his statement, Colvin said he was doing OK and expressed thanks to the Cubs’ and Marlins’ training and medical staffs for taking care of him.
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