Minnesota Twins infielder Kyle Farmer exited Wednesday afternoon's game against the Chicago White Sox (GameTracker) after being hit by a 91.6 mph Lucas Giolito fastball in the face in the fourth inning. Farmer eventually left the game with a towel to his face after remaining on the ground for several minutes.
Dan Hayes of The Athletic later tweeted that Farmer appears to have avoided any kind of fracture to his jaw. However, Farmer, according to Hayes, will undergo dental surgery on Wednesday night to address multiple damaged teeth and a laceration. The pitch was obviously not intentional and Giolito was a bit distraught afterward. Here's the injury:
Farmer, 32, came over from the Cincinnati Reds in an offseason trade. He has already chipped in a walk-off single this season, and he started at shortstop for the fourth straight game Wednesday as Carlos Correa deals with a back injury.
With a full strength roster, the Twins view Farmer as a lefty mashing super utility player. He has big league experience at all four infield positions as well as left field and even catcher.
Minnesota entered play Wednesday in first place in the AL Central with a 7-4 record and a plus-13 run differential. They are the only team in the division that has scored more runs than they have allowed.
