Royals' Maier on DL with facial fractures

CLEVELAND, Aug. 21 (UPI) -- The Kansas City Royals Thursday placed outfielder Mitch Maier on the 15-day disabled list because of a facial fracture suffered against Cleveland Wednesday.

Maier was struck below the right eye by a pitch thrown by Indians left-hander Zach Jackson in the fifth inning of Wednesday night's 8-5 Royals loss. He suffered three facial fractures and did not play in Thursday's 10-3 loss to the Indians.

Maier was preparing to put down a sacrifice bunt in the fifth inning when he was struck in the face by a pitch by Cleveland's Zach Jackson.

Maier fell to the ground, bleeding. He was able to walk from the playing field with a towel over his face and was taken to a Cleveland hospital for evaluation. His right eye was swollen shut when he returned from the hospital.

"I haven't seen a replay, but I don't think it hit my helmet," he said on the Royals' Web site. "Some people thought maybe it grazed the helmet. I don't know, but it got me pretty good."

"There was lot of a blood," Royals' Manager Trey Hillman said. "It got him right under the eye."

Jackson said the pitch was "a cutter that got away."

Maier was batting .339 in 19 games (56 at-bats) since being recalled from Triple-A Omaha. His roster replacement is outfielder Joey Gathright, who had been rehabbing a shoulder injury at Omaha.