San Diego Padres pitcher Cole Paplham was removed from a spring training game in Arizona on a medical cart after being struck by a 102.4 MPH line drive off the bat of Los Angeles Dodgers first baseman Aaron Bracho.
Paplham was conscious and alert after the hit, though he was clearly in pain. Padres manager Mike Shildt said, “Our prayers are with him. He was conscious, seemed alert, knew where he was. But clearly a scary thing… He was clearly in some pain, and obviously when something like that happens, a little bit rattled.”
Despite the injury, Paplham walked to the cart under his own power, but there were some technical issues with the cart, which delayed his trip to the trainer’s room in Glendale, Arizona. The line drive struck Paplham on his right cheek, but there didn’t appear to be any blood.
Fans and observers have sent their well wishes, with one commenting, “Dude got a chin, respect. Hope he’s ok.” Others are calling for MLB to consider requiring pitchers to wear headgear, especially after a similar incident just days earlier when Dodgers pitcher Bobby Miller was hit by a line drive and is currently in concussion protocol.
Paplham, a 24-year-old from Green Bay, Wisconsin, attended college in New Orleans and has been progressing through the Padres’ farm system. After a solid 2023 season with a 3.60 ERA across low-A, high-A, and Double-A, he struggled with injuries in 2024. The 6-foot-3 righty is currently ranked as the 26th best prospect in the Padres’ system by MLB.com.
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