Hit in head, Royals pitcher Seth Lugo avoids major injury. What we learned Thursday
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Seth Lugo was struck in the head by a 106.6 mph line drive during a Royals game.
- He was coherent, walked off on his own, and received a clear CT scan.
- Royals say Lugo has swelling and minor symptoms but no bleeding or fractures detected.
Kansas City Royals starter Seth Lugo was in good spirits as he walked into the home clubhouse on Thursday morning.
It had been a rough few hours.
Lugo, 36, was struck in the head by a 106.6 mph line drive in Wednesday’s 6-4 loss to the Texas Rangers at Kauffman Stadium.
In the fourth inning, Rangers star Brandon Nimmo hit a changeup back up the middle. The baseball connected off Lugo’s forehead and ricocheted into right field.
Lugo went down instantly. The Royals training staff raced to the mound while Nimmo also checked on his former New York Mets teammate.
After a few moments, Lugo was coherent and walked off the field on his own power.
“He was shaken up pretty good,” Lugo said of Nimmo. “So I was really trying to calm him down. He’s always been a sweetheart like that. As a buddy of mine, so you know, I felt for him.”
The Royals shared Thursday that Lugo underwent several tests. He received a clear CT scan and will continue to be evaluated.
“I got to get some of the swelling out of my forehead,” Lugo said. “You know, it throbs when I bend over. So a few symptoms right now but I feel good. Slept fine. As long as I can get some swelling out. … My hat is not too comfortable right now. So just got to deal with the minor symptoms first.”
Lugo received a lot of support from his teammates. Multiple players came up to check on him as he got ready for Thursday’s game.
“It’s family in here,” Lugo said. “When something like that happens, it’s scary. You know, it’s one of the dangers of baseball. And as a pitcher, you know, you can’t think of that before it happens. You would never throw a strike. We all feel for each other when something bad happens out there, but you know, it’s part of the game.”
The Royals haven’t determined Lugo’s next steps. It’s still too early to tell how his symptoms will progress in coming days. He had a large bump on his forehead and a few scratches on his arm.
Despite the scary situation, the Royals are relieved Lugo is okay given the circumstances.
“We’re very fortunate,” Royals manager Matt Quatraro said. “No bleeding, no fractures, none of that kind of stuff. I mean, he took a blow to the head – 100-plus mile-an-hour line drive. So we have to continue to monitor him, but everything has been very positive so far.”
