It’s a good thing that A.J. Ellis is healthy as Los Angeles Dodgers All-Star catcher Yasmani Grandal was forced out of Sunday’s game after a foul ball of the bat of Michael Taylor struck him in the jaw. Grandal missed a week earlier this season due to a concussion.
The injury occurred on Zack Greinke’s first pitch in the seventh inning. Taylor fouled it back off the lower part of Grandal’s mask. Dodgers Manager Don Mattingly said that upon watching the replay, he had thought Grandal had his jaw broken.
Trainers attended to Grandal briefly on the field before taking him back to the lockerroom. Sunsequent X-rays were negative and Mattingly later said that Grandal would undergo further tests on Monday in Atlanta.
Grandal was replaced by Ellis.
“When it first happened, I didn’t know what I was saying and they didn’t either. I couldn’t really move my jaw too much,” Grandal said. “We’ll just take it one day at a time and see how it does.”
Grandal came into the game batting .275 with 14 home runs and 36 RBIs.
