Rays Pitcher Hunter Bigge Recovering Nicely One Month After Being Struck By Foul Ball

Hunter Biggie was lying on the dugout floor in a fog and with blood in his mouth. He was able to move his feet, which was no small detail as he did his best to take inventory and grasp what had just happened. Within minutes, he was being wheeled through the emergency room doors of St. Joseph’s Hospital.

“When I got hit, I had no idea what happened,” he said when meeting with the media prior to the Tampa Bay Rays game against the visiting Chicago White Sox on Monday. “I was in a daze worried about my brain and worried about moving my body. I started moving my feet around while I was in the dugout and that made me feel really good. The fact I was worried about my brain, I guess my brain is probably okay.”

There was much laughter as the 27-year-old spoke of his brain. Fortunately, he can laugh now, one month after a very scary incident at Steinbrenner Field.

Plenty of support

The way Bigge appeared as he was speaking to the media in the Rays’ clubhouse, one would not suspect that he took a scorching (105 mph) foul ball off the right side of his face, let alone all of one month earlier. The Rays’ dugout is on the first base side of cozy Steinbrenner Field and the ball came off the bat of switch-hitter Adley Rutschman, batting from the left side against righthanded pitcher Connor Seabold, at a seemingly impossible angle.

A broken orbital bone is understandably a primary concern given Bigge would not want to risk damage to his vision. He gives his overall progress a thumbs up, much like that of which he gave as he was carted off the field, to the relief of every pair of eyeballs looking on.

“Very grateful to the Rays community and my family and my wife (Casey),” said Bigge, who has a bachelor’s in physics from Harvard. “She made sure I was getting smoothies and soft foods to make sure I didn’t lose much weight. She has been a nurse the past month making sure that I have been very comfortable.”

Likewise, the training staff has performed yeoman’s work tending to the Orlando native. Their diligence, along with that of medical personnel, was vital. Assistant athletic trainer Aaron Scott immediately tended to the pitcher, who was on the 15-day IL at the time with a right lat strain.

“I am really grateful for the athletic training staff,” he said. “Aaron was on me immediately telling me everything was going to be okay, and the paramedics did a great job getting me out of the (ballpark). They took good care of me and said I was stable.”

Bigge said he was told his face was “pretty messed up.” While that was hardly a surprise, he was assured that he would be out of St. Joe’s in short order, which he was. In the interim, he had ample visitors, including Rays head trainer Joe Benge, manager Kevin Cash and general manager Erik Neander. Bigge’s phone would not stop buzzing as calls and texts from well-wishers, including those who had an idea of what he was enduring, piled up.

“Players who went through something similar reached out to me, and it was really nice to hear from them and share what they experienced,” said Bigge, who was discharged after less than three full days.

Hopeful of pitching soon

As Bigge continues to recover from the unfortunate incident, he is allowing for the possibility of appearing in a big league game before the 2025 season reaches the finish line.

“That is my goal, for sure,” he said. “We will see how it goes. I think a lot of it is going to be based on how my face responds, how I am feeling. My orbital (bone) broke, so I don’t want to do anything that would cause more damage to my eye.”

Bigge, who was acquired from the Cubs along with Christopher Morel in exchange for Isaac Paredes at last year’s trade deadline, had a 2.40 ERA in 13 outings prior to being placed on the IL earlier this season. While the hope is that will not be his final stat line, he understands it truly is a day-to-day situation and certainly nothing he wants to force.

“I think as long as I am checking boxes and slowly progressing, we will see how things go,” he said. “I would love to pitch again soon.”

Bigge has been working out, getting in some squats and shoulder exercises. So far, so good.

“Other than normal muscular soreness, I think I have been responding pretty well,” he said. “The more I am doing, the more I feel like myself.”