Cleveland Indians infielder Zach Walters was involved in a car accident that required a hospital visit but is expected to be OK.
Continue for updates.
Indians’ Statement on Walters
Wednesday, Dec. 23
According to Jordan Bastian of MLB.com, the Indians released a brief statement about Walters’ accident, noting he “is home, and is in good spirits.”
“Everything to this point has checked out fine,” the statement said. “We will continue to stay in touch with him and monitor his situation.”
Details of Walters’ accident were not available, though Bastian did note the team is “still in the process of gathering as much information as possible.”
Bastian added that Walters’ private Instagram account includes a picture of the veteran utility man in the hospital wearing “a neckbrace and [he] had a cut above his left eye.”
Walters, who was originally drafted by the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2010, made his MLB debut with the Washington Nationals in 2013. He was traded to Cleveland in July 2014 and has appeared in 42 games with the team, hitting .161/.202/.356.
This has been a rough offseason for Walters, who had shoulder surgery in October that will require five to six months of recovery time, putting his status for spring training in doubt.
The Indians have given themselves plenty of infield options to choose from with Mike Napoli and Carlos Santana at first base, Jason Kipnis at second base, Francisco Lindor at shortstop and some combination of Giovanny Urshela and Jose Ramirez at third base.
Walters’ car accident doesn’t sound like it will alter his timetable to return from shoulder surgery, so hopefully he is able to make a full recovery to compete for a spot on the 25-man roster when camp opens in February.
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