Texas Rangers player Josh Smith hospitalized after hit in face with pitch

An athletic trainer for the Texas Rangers tends to Josh Smith after he was hit in the face by a pitch in the third inning against the Baltimore Orioles at Globe Life Field on Monday.

Richard Rodriguez/Getty Images

CNN
 — 

Texas Rangers left fielder Josh Smith was taken to an area hospital after taking a pitch to the face during Monday’s game against the Baltimore Orioles in Arlington, Texas, the team announced on Monday.

Smith was hit during the bottom of the third inning, when Orioles pitcher Danny Coulombe mislocated an 89-mph pitch that struck the left fielder on the right side of his face, near his jaw.

The 25-year-old player immediately went down and could be seen grabbing at his face before he was tended to by a Rangers medical assistant.

Smith, who was able to get up and walk off the field on his own, was taken to the hospital where he is undergoing “further scans and testing on his face and jaw,” the team later tweeted. He was replaced by pinch runner Ezequiel Duran.

“We did take him to the ER. He had some CT tests, they came out clean – so we got good news there,” manager of the Texas Rangers, Bruce Bochy, said during a postgame news conference.

“He’s feeling better as I’m speaking right now and tomorrow, we’ll just reevaluate and see where we’re at,” Bochy added.