Rachel Balkovec shares photo of gruesome aftermath of batted ball to face
Rachel Balkovec took a baseball to the face during hitting drills, and it really left a mark.
A day after news that her injuries would keep her out of the Tampa Tarpons’ spring opener, the first woman manager in American affiliated baseball shared a photo of the gruesome aftermath.
“Just feeling extremely lucky, and also like I’ll never throw side flips again for the rest of eternity,” Balkovec wrote on Instagram. In the photo, her left eye is almost completely obscured by swelling and bruising.
Balkovec is set to make her historic regular season debut as the Low-A Tarpons’ manager on April 8.
“All things considered, I feel very fortunate,” Balkovec said after initially suffering the injury on Tuesday. “The doctors have asked me to be smart about limiting my activities over the next several days, and I plan on following their guidance. As much as I already miss being around the players and staff, I do not anticipate this affecting my role and responsibilities for the regular season.”
Her initial diagnosis did not include a concussion.