Major League Baseball

Rays' Franklin whacked in head by teammate's bat

Published Aug. 17, 2016 6:49 p.m. ET

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ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) Tampa Bay Rays second baseman Nick Franklin was hit in the head on deck by a teammate's bat, but drew a walk and scored in the first inning before leaving the game with a head bruise against the San Diego Padres.

Franklin passed a concussion protocol test.

''I feel great ... really like nothing happened,'' Franklin said. ''Right when it first happened, it was shocking and that's what kind of caught me off-guard. I felt a little bit dazed. I just felt tired, woozy. I never really lost concentration, focus, remembering things.''

Kevin Kiermaier smacked the back of Franklin's head with a bat when Franklin bent to grab pine tar in the on-deck circle prior to leading off the first inning in Wednesday's game. Kiermaier was stretching a few feet in front of Franklin, swinging the bat over his head with one arm. Franklin was wearing a helmet.

''I was just doing a little warm-up routine I always do, weight on my bat, swinging it,'' Kiermaier said. ''Nick went to get some pine tar and I was already doing it, and I don't think he saw me. I smoked his helmet. I felt terrible. Kind of a freak accident.''

''Partially it was my fault,'' Franklin added. ''I saw him there, and I thought I was out of the way and next thing you know I got whacked.''

Franklin's head and vision were checked by Rays' athletic trainer Ron Porterfield. Franklin scored on Brad Miller's two-run homer, but was taken out after the inning.

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