Cubs Outfielder Colvin Is Hospitalized After Broken Bat Punctures Chest

Chicago Cubs outfielder Tyler Colvin will miss the rest of the season after a broken bat punctured his chest.

Colvin was injured during yesterday’s 13-3 win against the host Florida Marlins. He was on third base in the second inning when the bat of Cubs catcher Welington Castillo broke on a double to left field. As Colvin looked to see where the ball was going to land, a piece of the splintered bat struck him in the chest near his left collarbone.

Colvin, a 25-year-old Major League Baseball rookie, released a statement through the team today saying that he was “doing OK” and thanking medical personnel. The team said Colvin was in stable condition at Jackson Memorial Hospital in Miami. He will remain in the hospital for a few days.

“You never want to have a season end early, and I’m disappointed that I’m not going to be able to make it through the finish line with the rest of my teammates,” Colvin said.

Doctors inserted a tube in the chest opening yesterday in a procedure designed to prevent Colvin’s lung from collapsing, MLB.com reported.

“I’m amazed it doesn’t happen more often,” MLB.com cited Cubs manager Mike Quade as saying. “Over the last 10 years, I’ve seen a lot of projectiles out there. Sometimes I’ve seen it happen three or four times a night where bats get snapped in half.”

Colvin, the Cubs’ first-round pick in the 2006 draft, was hitting .254 with 20 home runs and 56 runs batted in over 135 games this season.

To contact the reporter on this story: Erik Matuszewski in New York at matuszewski@bloomberg.net