Jurickson Profar looked like he was seriously injured in that game in Thursday’s Giants-Padres game. (Photo by Denis Poroy/Getty Images)
San Diego Padres outfielder Jurickson Profar left Thursday’s game after a tough clash with the San Francisco Giants that sent him to the hospital.
The Padres updated his status on Friday, announcing that Profar has suffered a concussion and a strained neck. He was discharged from hospital overnight and is now resting, the Padres said. The team offered no prognosis or timeline for his return.
The injury occurred on a flyball into left field by Giants designated hitter Tommy La Stella. Profar and Padre’s shortstop CJ Abrams both ran for the ball, resulting in Abrams running full speed down a diving Profar while making the catch. The replay showed Abram’s knee making hard contact with Profar’s jaw.
Both players collapsed immediately after the collision. Abrams got up after a few seconds, but Profar stayed down and was clearly in pain.
Profar lay there for a while, but finally got up and tried to walk to the dugout under his own power. After a few steps, however, he made a face and fell down again. A Padres trainer had preceded him and eventually went down with him after failing to catch up.
The situation didn’t get any less scary or bizarre from there. Profar had an apparent head injury but it was more than five minutes before the Padres got a cart out for him after his second collapse, per Evan Webeck of The Mercury News. It lasted more than 10 minutes from the moment of the collision.
When Profar was finally on the wagon, he gave the crowd a thumbs up.
The Padres replaced Profar in field by placing José Azocar in right field and moving right fielder Nomar Mazara to left. The team later announced Profar had been transferred to UC San Diego Health for further evaluation.
Profar missing a significant time would be a blow to the Padres, who have beaten him in the leadoff since late May. He’s hitting .242/.343/.397 with eight home runs and 50 carries in the season.