This an update to Brian's coverage of DeShields' injury in today's Minor League Recap. Which you can read here.
Delino DeShields Jr. stepped into the batter's box last night to face the Frisco Roughriders' Phil Klein in the top of the seventh. DeShields fouled off the first two pitches in the at-bat. Klein's next pitch came in high and tight on DeShields, hitting him square in the jaw at 90-mph. DeShields was dazed but able to walk off the field under his own power.
Travis Ballew's father, Sam, captured the moments after DeShields was hit.
@cchooks CF Delino Deshields hit in the face by a pitch. Walked off on his own. pic.twitter.com/xaInj2DQDp
— Sam Ballew (@samballew) April 19, 2014
Deshields leaving game after being hit by pitch pic.twitter.com/KUPBVWlpAf
— Sam Ballew (@samballew) April 19, 2014
Deshields would later tweet out the images that have been making the rounds across the internet. It honestly looks like he is chipmunking a baseball for winter.
To anyone that is concerned as you can see I'm doing fantastic! Blessed to see another day! Always smiling lol pic.twitter.com/C5koD0Z5t9
— Delino DeShields (@LinoDeShields) April 19, 2014
Thankfully that the majority of 'that' is swelling around DeShields' face. Astros' MLB.com beatwriter Brian McTaggert spoke with Astros GM Jeff Luhnow and Coprus Christi Hooks' manager Keith Bodie -
Astros general manager Jeff Luhnow said Saturday that DeShields, the Astros' seventh-ranked prospect, has a non-displaced maxillary sinus fracture in his left cheek. DeShields was to be further evaluated later Saturday, but the team didn't know how long he'd be out.
Hooks manager Keith Bodie said. "It could have been horrific, could have been catastrophic. He never saw the ball out of the pitcher's hand and took a 90-mph fastball right in the face. You can imagine how lucky we are that he's only got a fracture of his cheekbone. His head looks like a beach ball right now."
This was DeShields' first season in Double-A Corpus Christi, after spending the past two split between Single-A Lancaster and Single-A Lexington. He was batting .259 (14-54) with 10 runs scored, five extra-base hits, seven walks, and six stolen bases this season in Corpus Christi.
I speak for everyone here at TCB, we wish Delino a speedy recovery.