Alex Rodriguez has broken his left hand after being hit by a pitch from Felix Hernandez in the eighth inning of the New York Yankees' 4-2 loss to the Seattle Mariners on Tuesday night.
"It's a tough blow," a somber Rodriguez said about an hour after the game ended. His left hand was heavily wrapped, and he'll fly back with the team after Wednesday's game and be checked out by the Yankees' medical staff on Thursday.
"I never thought it was a fracture, but it was."
Because Wednesday is a day game, it's not clear if New York can call someone up to Seattle to fill the open roster spot before the 3:40 ET start.
Rodriguez, who is batting .276 with 15 home runs and 44 RBIs this season, had just talked Monday about finally feeling good at the plate. He is now on the DL and the Yankees have another hole to fill in their roster.
Rumors have already swirled and Chase Headley of the San Diego Padres has been a name thrown around.
Headley plays third base. He has a .265 batting average and 11 homers with 50 RBI.
The Yankees could use some youth on the team and Headley is only 28-years-old. If it is not by trade then the Yankees will find a way to deal with the vacancy.
They did not think Hernandez plunked A-Rod on purpose as Yankees' pitcher Freddy Garcia and the ace are very close friends.
"It's too bad about what happened," Garcia said. "It's a big loss for us. The pitch just got away from him. It happens."
Derek Jeter knows the team will bounce back and find a way to keep rolling, "We can't feel sorry for ourselves. It's a challenge."
