After being struck by foul ball, Bigge recovering from surgery for facial fractures

TAMPA -- A day after being struck in the face by a 105.1 mph foul ball while sitting in the dugout during Thursday night’s 4-1 loss to the Orioles at George M. Steinbrenner Field, Rays reliever Hunter Bigge underwent surgery to address multiple facial fractures.

President of baseball operations Erik Neander said during a radio appearance on WDAE on Friday that “the most concerning outcomes have been ruled out” for Bigge, so the Rays felt it was all relatively good news considering the terrifying scene they witnessed on Thursday night.

“He's in a very good spot right now,” manager Kevin Cash said after the Rays’ 14-8 win against the Tigers. “[Head athletic trainer Joe Benge] has gone back and forth with his family and the doctor, so we're very encouraged by all the news.”

Cash and Neander visited with Bigge in the hospital on Friday. Bigge’s wife, Casey, was there, and his parents flew to Tampa from San Francisco on Thursday night to be with their son.

“Getting to see Hunter and talk to him, he was in good spirits,” Cash said. “Not a ton of information other than that, but for me, personally, witnessing and watching what took place yesterday, to see how he was today and being able to interact, we’re heading in a really good direction.”

The initial update on Thursday night was positive, as Bigge didn’t lose consciousness, was not hit in the eye and was conversational, even cracking jokes. The 27-year-old right-hander, currently on the injured list recovering from a lat strain, flashed a thumbs-up sign as he was carted off the field on a stretcher.

Bigge’s well-being was still top of mind for the Rays as they reported to Steinbrenner Field on Friday afternoon to begin a weekend series against the Tigers.

“All I know is it's been good news, and it's about as good as it could be,” starter Ryan Pepiot said. “We're just hoping that everything goes smoothly with him and he can get out of there as soon as possible and get back to spending time with us.”

Pepiot said he was sitting nearby during the seventh inning Thursday night, engaged in a lighthearted conversation with Bigge and rehabbing reliever Alex Faedo about sunflower seeds and pumpkin seeds, when Adley Rutschman’s foul liner ripped toward the home dugout on the first-base side of the ballpark.

“You see the ball coming at you, and we all ducked. You could hear the contact it made and then see him fall backwards,” Pepiot said. “I mean, honestly, like, I almost threw up. I'm not good with blood or anything like that. But just seeing that, just like how close it was, it was one of the scariest things I've ever seen.

“Just kind of really put some perspective, like, it's bigger than the game. He was talking a couple seconds later. He's like, 'I'm OK, right? I'm OK?' You have no idea. Game didn't matter after that point. We could have [come] back and won, but it wouldn't matter.”

A Harvard-educated hard-thrower who joined the Rays in a July 2024 trade with the Cubs, Bigge is highly regarded by his teammates as a good person and a fierce competitor. Seeing him injured like that prompted most of Tampa Bay’s players and staff to spend the rest of Thursday’s game behind the protective netting in the dugout rather than sitting against the railing.

“After that, immediately, everyone was down underneath. There might have been one person that stuck their head up, but you're probably going to see that for a little bit,” Pepiot said. “I would assume we're going to be hiding a little bit more. I just don't want anything like that to happen ever again, so I would assume most people are gonna be hiding.”

It was not the first such incident this season. Rehabbing starter Shane McClanahan took a Kyle Schwarber foul ball off his left arm last month, although he was ultimately unharmed, and another foul ball left assistant hitting coach Brady North with a bruised, swollen eye.

It’s unlikely they can raise the dugout screen, and players will still want to sit close to the field so they can see the game and support their teammates.

“You just kind of think it just isn't gonna happen, or if it does come in, it's just going to miss everybody. But then after something like that, I think we're definitely going to see some people ducking and staying underneath,” Pepiot said. “You want to be out there to support them. So it may look a little different. We might be all hiding underneath, but once the guys get some hits, you're gonna see us pop up.”

Cash said Friday afternoon that he planned to speak to some players and brainstorm potential adjustments in the dugout, although it was obviously not the Rays’ primary focus as they awaited further word on Bigge’s status.

“We're going to make whatever we can do as comfortable as possible,” Cash said. “But right now, I think we're all prioritizing just Hunter's well-being and getting him back and watching games again.”