ARLINGTON, Texas -- The Indians have not been fortunate when it comes to injuries this season. Their top three players, Grady Sizemore, Asdrubal Cabrera and Shin-Soo Choo, are on the disabled list. On Monday night, hot-hitting Matt LaPorta was knocked out of the game after a collision at first base. He temporarily lost consciousness and left the game shortly...
Shin-Soo Choo's injured thumb might not need surgery, which would make his stay on the disabled list considerably shorter. ARLINGTON, Texas -- The Indians have not been fortunate when it comes to injuries this season. Their top three players, Grady Sizemore, Asdrubal Cabrera and Shin-Soo Choo, are on the disabled list.
On Monday night, hot-hitting Matt LaPorta was knocked out of the game after a collision at first base. He temporarily lost consciousness and left the game shortly afterward.
LaPorta had a CT scan at a nearby hospital and results were negative. LaPorta, however, did not play Tuesday night against Texas.
Perhaps fortune is ready to give the Indians a break.
Dr. Thomas Graham informed them Tuesday that Choo might not need surgery on his sprained right thumb after examining the Indians' right fielder at Cleveland Clinic. It was speculated that Choo, placed on the disabled list Sunday, could miss six to eight weeks, but if he doesn't need surgery, he might be able to rejoin the Indians sooner.
Choo, who sprained the ulna collateral ligament in the thumb, must wear a splint for the next seven to 10 days to keep the thumb immobile. If the thumb shows improvement, Lonnie Soloff, Indians head athletic trainer, said Choo will go on an "aggressive" return program.
"Dr. Graham said the clinical examination of Choo's thumb does not display any instability," said Soloff. "If you compare the stability of his left thumb and right thumb, there's no significant difference.
"That, and the fact that Choo's symptoms are decreasing daily, leads Dr. Graham to believe that there's a good chance that he can work through this [without surgery]."
Soloff said surgery could still take place if the thumb doesn't respond the right way after it has been immobilized. If he needs surgery, Choo could miss six to eight weeks.
LaPorta will go through a battery of tests similar to the ones David Huff went through after he was hit in the head by a line drive hit by Alex Rodriguez in May. Concussions do not always present immediately.
"Matt is symptom-free, other than having a sore neck," said Soloff. "We will assess him at intervals.
The collision took place in the third inning. Texas shortstop Elvis Andrus appeared to hit LaPorta in the head with his elbow as he crossed the base on an infield single.
"I'm not sure if I was knocked out," said LaPorta. "For a couple of seconds, I wasn't normal."
LaPorta left the game the next inning. He suffered a concussion after getting hit in the head with a pitch during the 2008 Olympics in China.
"That was a lot worse," he said. "I felt the effects of that for a couple of weeks."
Soloff did not know when LaPorta would be back in the lineup. Andy Marte started at first base Tuesday.
LaPorta did not think Andrus hit him intentionally.
"I know Elvis," he said. "I like him. The ball short-hopped me and I backed up into the baserunner."
Slow motion: Travis Hafner stole his first base since May 15, 2008, Monday night in the sixth inning. It was a delayed steal, no less.
The call came from manager Manny Acta.
"I would like to just sit back and let these guys swing away, but that's not the type of club we have," said Acta. "Travis executed it perfectly. Jhonny Peralta was the main ingredient at the end with his huge two-out double."
Hafner scored on Peralta's double for a 7-2 lead. The Indians beat Texas, 9-3.
It was the ninth steal of Hafner's career.
Tragedy: According to witnesses, a man fell out of the upper deck at Rangers Ballpark in Arlington in the fifth inning Tuesday while trying to catch a foul ball. He landed behind the Rangers' dugout and was carried out of the ballpark on a stretcher.
Both teams left the field. The game was delayed for 16 minutes.
There was no word on the man's condition.