LOS ANGELESRight-hander Chris Stratton, the Giants topdraft pick in June, was taken by ambulance to a hospital after he was struck inthe head with a line drive during batting practice for Salem-Keizer in theshort-season Northwest League.
Stratton was in stable condition and preliminarily diagnosedwith a concussion, Giants vice president Bobby Evans said. Evans could not confirmthat Stratton was taken via ambulance but an eyewitness confirmed to ComcastSportsnet Bay Area that the power pitcher needed to be transported by emergencypersonnel.
Hes at the hospital now being evaluated to make sure itsnothing more than a concussion, Evans said. He does have symptoms of aconcussion. They are working on the diagnosis to confirm that. They are goingto be cautious and thorough.
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Stratton, who turns 22 on Wednesday, was the 20thoverall selection after winning Southeastern Conference pitcher of the yearhonors for Mississippi State. He was 0-1 with a 2.76 ERA in eight games (fivestarts) for the Volcanoes, but was dealing with some control issues. Strattonhad walked 10 and struck out 16 in 16 13 innings.
Stratton was standing behind second base when struck by theline drive during batting practice, Evans said.
Its likely that the injury will be season-ending, sinceplayers must go through a protocol and pass a series of evaluations following aconcussion. Salem-Keizers season ends Sept. 1.