Major League Baseball

LaPorta gets a day off after head injury

Published Jul. 7, 2010 12:47 a.m. ET

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Indians first baseman Matt LaPorta was given Tuesday night off after taking an accidental elbow to the head from the Texas Rangers' Elvis Andrus.

The Indians said that LaPorta did not sustain a concussion when he was hit covering first base during Monday night's 9-3 victory over the Rangers. Still, manager Manny Acta wasn't taking any chances and kept LaPorta out of the lineup.

The incident happened in the third inning when Andrus ran past first base trying to beat out a slow grounder. LaPorta backed into the basepath to attempt to short-hop the throw, and Andrus accidentally clipped him across the head with his elbow.

LaPorta fell onto his back with his eyes closed, and was down for several minutes before remaining in the game. He eventually was replaced in the fourth by Andy Marte.

LaPorta was sent to a hospital for a CT scan on Monday night, which was negative. But he has a bruise on his head and his neck is sore.

``I feel a lot better today,'' LaPorta said Tuesday. ``I don't know if I got knocked out, but for a couple of seconds there I wasn't normal. To say I really got knocked out, I don't know.''

LaPorta sustained a concussion when he was struck in the head by a pitch while playing for Team USA in the 2008 Olympics, and the Indians wanted to make sure LaPorta was OK.

``That's a delicate thing and we're just being cautious with him,'' Acta said.

Of the 2008 concussion, LaPorta said, ``That was a little worse. I had that for a couple of weeks. I got hit in the head with a (pitched ball). It kind of missed my helmet and hit right underneath in the back.''

The Indians also got a positive medical report on right fielder Shin-Soo Choo, who's on the 15-day disabled list with a sprained right thumb.

Choo's thumb was examined on Tuesday morning in Cleveland by Dr. Thomas Graham, a hand specialist, and he won't need surgery. Choo will wear a brace and will be evaluated again after the All-Star break, and could be back sooner than the projected 6 to 8 weeks.

``It's good news, but we're still going to have to wait ... and see where that takes us,'' Acta said. ``But that will be a great boost for us if he doesn't need to have that surgery and we can have him back a lot shorter than we were anticipating. A lot quicker.''