KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- St. Louis Cardinals shortstop Aledmys Diaz had to leave Monday night's 6-2 loss to the Royals in the ninth inning after a foul ball struck him in the face above the right eye.
Diaz lunged for a Joakim Soria breaking ball and topped it off home plate. The ball ricocheted straight up and hit Diaz in the forehead area, knocking off his batting helmet.
Diaz squatted at home plate, accompanied by a trainer and manager Mike Matheny, before walking off the field while clutching a towel to his forehead.
The Cardinals were hopeful Diaz would be OK, but he was scheduled to visit a Kansas City-area hospital late Monday for further tests. Diaz had swelling and discoloration above his eye as he addressed reporters after the game.
"In the beginning, I was a little scared because I couldn't see anything. It was a little blurry, but thank God it went down, and now I'm able to see OK," Diaz said through an interpreter. "At first, I thought it hit me in the eye, but when I looked at video, I saw that it hit me in the brow."
Diaz likely will undergo concussion-protocol procedures before Tuesday's game, but he said he felt no dizziness or nausea after the game. Those are often symptoms of a concussion. Diaz, 25, is batting .316 to lead all National League shortstops.