Watch San Francisco Giants Slugger Foul Ball Off Head In Batting Practice

Jorge Soler was the victim of an unusual bounce of a foul ball during his first batting practice since going on the injured list.

Apr 26, 2024; San Francisco, California, USA; San Francisco Giants designated hitter Jorge Soler. / Darren Yamashita-USA TODAY Sports

The San Francisco Giants can ill afford many more injuries, especially when it comes to position players.

Jorge Soler is on the 10-day injured list with a right shoulder strain. He’s more than a week removed from being moved to the list and Tuesday represented a significant step for the right-handed designated hitter.

Soler was slated to hit live batting practice for the first time since he went on the injured list. He told reporters that he was pain free a week ago and began a hitting progression, which led to Tuesday’s session.

Most players take batting practice without helmets. They’ll usually wear hats or even go without a cap. Pitches are usually not high velocity, thrown by one of the coaches and are meant to help players work on their timing.

Which makes what happened to Soler all the more distressing.

First time Jorge Soler hit on the field since his shoulder injury and he takes a ricocheted ball straight to the head. Brutal. pic.twitter.com/draxTqlTkT

— Shayna Rubin (@ShaynaRubin) May 14, 2024

The ball went straight up in the cage, hit one of the bars that keeps the cage together and the ball hit him in the front of the head. He was in obvious pain after it happened and reporters at Oracle Park said he left with a trainer.

Soler was eligible to come off the injured list on Wednesday, so if this led to a head injury it would certainly keep the 32-year-old from returning for the game of the Giants’ series with the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Soler was struggling at the plate before injury. He was batting just .204 with five home runs and eight RBI after joining San Francisco in the offseason.

The Giants have other players on the injured list, most notably outfielder Jung Hoo Lee, who will head to Los Angeles on Thursday for a second opinion on his injured left shoulder after an MRI revealed structural damage.

Other San Francisco position players on the 10-day injured list are backup catcher Tom Murphy, outfielder Michael Conforto, outfielder Austin Slater and infielder Nick Ahmed.