Oakland Athletics first baseman Matt Olson missed Thursday’s game against the Tampa Bay Rays due to a batting practice incident in which a baseball struck him in the eye.
Olson was taking batting practice prior to the game when he reportedly hit a ball off a screen and it ricocheted back and hit him in the face.
Oakland scratched Olson from the lineup and started Mitch Moreland at first base. Olson is slated to undergo an MRI exam.
“It’s swollen pretty good,” Athletics manager Bob Melvin told reporters.
Olson, 27, leads Oakland with six homers and is batting .296 with 17 RBIs in 16 games. He has smacked 109 homers in 441 games in parts of six seasons with the Athletics.
