SEATTLE (AP) — The Cleveland Guardians activated catcher Austin Hedges from the 7-day injured list prior to Friday night’s game against the Seattle Mariners.
Hedges, 32, was placed on the list retroactive to last Thursday after he was struck on the helmet on a backswing by the New York Yankees’ Jazz Chisholm Jr. during a game on Wednesday. It marked the fifth time Hedges has been placed on the injured list because of a concussion across 11 MLB seasons.
“They’re all very similar, at least my version of them,” Hedges said. “Apparently there’s a handful of different types of brain injuries, and mine have been pretty consistent just at least with the symptoms. So, it was nothing new for me. Luckily this one wasn’t very bad and didn’t take that long to get over it.”
Hedges said his symptoms started to clear up roughly three days removed from the incident. He visited a specialist in Pittsburgh prior to joining the Guardians in Seattle, one which he had worked with during his first stint in Cleveland from 2020 to 2022.
Hedges said he was appreciative of the Guardians not rushing him back to play too quickly.
“We have such an amazing staff, and they’re always looking out for all of us,” Hedges said. “But, I felt like we handled everything perfectly and just happy that it was the minimum amount of time.”
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