Milwaukee's Rymer Liriano has been taken to hospital after being hit in the face by a pitch in the Brewers' Major League baseball pre-season match against the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Liriano left the field on a stretcher, bleeding from his nose and sporting a severely swollen left eye, before he was taken to hospital in Phoenix.
"He's conscious but ... it's serious," Brewers manager Craig Counsell said.
"I can't give you many details."
The pitch from Matt West - in the match won 3-1 by the Brewers - went under the brim of Liriano's batting helmet and hit him on the left side of the face in the eighth inning.
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Liriano went to the ground holding his face as trainers rushed to his aid.
Jake Elmore was two batters behind Liriano and while he didn't have a clear view of incident he said the sound was bad.
"The guys were saying that his nose was gushing blood and it really hadn't stopped when he came in here," Elmore said in the dressing room.
"They said it just ticked the side of his helmet and got his cheek area. You know that the sound is different. That slap against the flesh. That's when you know it's not good."
The 24-year-old Liriano, from the Dominican Republic, was acquired from San Diego in a trade on January 28.
He made his MLB debut in 2014 with the Padres and spent last year in the minors.
Liriano is trying to earn a roster slot, with centre field the open spot right now.
"We're all praying for him," Brewers pitcher Jimmy Nelson said.
"It's tough for him and his family. Hopefully everything comes back and he's OK and it's not too severe. It is tough, and it kind of makes you appreciate every day."
