LOS ANGELES — San Francisco Giants center fielder Aaron Rowand was placed on the 15-day disabled list on Sunday, two days after a fastball to his head from the Dodgers’ Vicente Padilla left him with two small fractures in his left cheekbone and a mild concussion.
“I didn’t want to go on the disabled list, but I don’t have ‘MD.’ behind my name,” Rowand said after taking some soft-toss swings in the indoor batting cage.
“Apparently in their thoughts, they felt it wasn’t the wise move to try to continue playing with the fractures in my face — simply on the premise of the possibility of getting hit again. Obviously it’s frustrating, especially with the way we’re playing and the prospects of the season and everything else.”
The mishap occurred in the fifth inning of Friday night’s 10-8 loss, when the ball struck the left ear flap of Rowand’s helmet as he turned to get out of the way. He never lost consciousness and was able to leave the field under his own power before he was taken to a hospital for a CT scan.
“I was pretty woozy most of the night, but I felt better yesterday and I feel better today than I did yesterday,” Rowand said. “The headaches and stuff are gone, so right now it’s just dealing with the swelling and what the next step is.
“I’m going up to San Francisco tonight and meeting with all the doctors and come up with a game plan,” he added. “And if I do have surgery, it’ll be tomorrow sometime and they’ll put three plates in my face to try to speed the healing process. If not, I’ll be in San Diego tomorrow with the team. But right now it’s up in the air. Hazards of the trade, I guess. I’m lucky it’s not worse.”
Infielder Matt Downs was recalled from Triple-A Fresno to fill Rowand’s roster spot. Andres Torres and Eugenio Velez will alternate in center field in the meantime, depending on matchups.
“Obviously, you miss Aaron Rowand’s style of play and his presence in your lineup for the two or three weeks he’ll be out, because he’s such a gamer,” Mark DeRosa said. “But I think we have a ton of depth to cover it. Torres and Velez defensively are unbelievable, the way they can go get the ball. And the way Velez is swinging the bat right now, it’s a good chance for him to get some ABs.”
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