Seattle Mariners third baseman Brendan Donovan landed on the injured list after a batting practice accident that the team's general manager described as a "freak" occurrence.
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Donovan was taking live batting practice inside a cage before Saturday's game against the Chicago Cubs when a pitch from an unnamed Mariners staff member got away and struck him in the head, according to The Seattle Times.
Donovan was not wearing a helmet at the time.
"Just a throw got away and hit him in the head," Mariners general manager Justin Hollander told reporters. "It's no one's fault. It happens."
Seattle placed Donovan on the seven-day concussion injured list Sunday.
Hollander said Donovan likes to challenge himself during pregame work and regularly participates in live batting practice. Mariners hitters sometimes face assistant pitching coach and former MLB reliever Danny Farquhar from roughly 45 feet during those sessions.
Players typically had not been wearing helmets for the workouts.
That apparently changed after Donovan's accident. The Seattle Times reported that Mariners hitters participating in batting practice Monday were all wearing helmets.
The timing is particularly frustrating for Donovan, who has already endured an injury-plagued first season in Seattle.
He previously missed 84 games over two stints on the injured list because of a left groin strain before returning Aug. 4. Donovan had finally started finding his rhythm again, going 10-for-24 over his previous six games.
Now he's sidelined again, this time because of an accident nobody saw coming.
