ST. LOUIS, Sept. 1 (UPI) -- St. Louis Cardinals outfielder Juan Encarnacion will not play again this season because of a serious left eye injury.
He was struck in the eye by a foul ball off the bat of teammate Aaron Miles while in the on-deck circle in Friday night’s game against Cincinnati. Having sustained multiple fractures to his left eye socket, Encarnacion was hospitalized for further evaluation.
The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported the team saying his long-term prognosis is undetermined.
"It’s about as bad as it gets, as far as what you can see on a baseball field," center fielder Jim Edmonds told the newspaper after the Cardinals' 8-5 victory.
"I just hope and pray that his eye is OK and he’ll be able to do everything and continue his career," Miles said. "It's a scary thing."
For the season, Encarnacion, 31, hit .283 with nine homers and 47 RBI in 283 at-bats.
