wow that is horrible, the cards have been unlucky of late with people getting hit in the head. In the same inning So Taguchi hit a linedrive above the Cards' dugout and hit a woman in the head. Then on Saturday night Chris Duncan lost his grip on his bat and it flew into the stand and hit somebody. I hope Juan gets better.
Cardinals outfielder still in hospital, career could be over after serious eye injury
By R.B. FALLSTROM, AP Sports Writer
September 2, 2007
ST. LOUIS (AP) -- The damage a foul ball did to Juan Encarnacion's left eye was the worst the St. Louis Cardinals' medical director has ever seen to a baseball player. Dr. George Paletta was not optimistic Sunday that the outfielder will regain full vision after his frightening injury and resume his career.
"It's the worst trauma I've seen. Absolutely," Paletta said, adding that the future holds no guarantees. "You hope the best for Juan, but he suffered a severe injury with a very guarded prognosis. It's way too early to say whether he will or he won't, and if he doesn't what percentage of vision loss he may have."
Paletta said the eye socket was essentially crushed on impact, comparing the injured area to the disintegration of an egg shell or ice cream cone, and that the optic nerve had sustained severe trauma. Reconstructive surgery may not take place for several days while doctors wait for swelling to subside. Paletta said there was no rupture to the eyeball.
Encarnacion, 31, was still experiencing headaches and nausea, preventing his release. Paletta said a positive sign was that the outfielder's vision had improved some, although he anticipated that progress would be slow.
"So at this point we keep our fingers crossed, say a prayer for him and make sure he's getting the best treatment he can get," Paletta said.
He's in Boston, being examined and treated by one of the leading eye specialists in the world....he's doing better, teammates say... but obviously his career is still very much up in the air....there appears to be significant damage to the optic nerve, which is bad news.
St. Louis Cardinals outfielder Juan Encarnacion, who crumpled to the grass after being struck by a foul ball in the on-deck circle on Aug. 31, has reportedly regained only 20/400 vision in his left eye.
According to a report in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, the Cardinals are pessimistic about Encarnacion resuming his career after the injury that gave him a concussion as well as multiple fractures to his eye socket.
Encarnacion underwent surgery to repair the fractures last month in Boston, and team officials expect him to return to St. Louis to meet with a retinal specialist within the next two weeks, according to the paper.
Encarnacion expected to miss 2008, baseball future remains uncertain
Associated Press
Updated: January 16, 2008, 5:48 PM EST
ST. LOUIS (AP) - Juan Encarnacion's horrific eye injury is expected to sideline him this season, and the St. Louis Cardinals aren't sure if he'll ever play again.
Encarnacion was standing in the on-deck circle at Busch Stadium on Aug. 31 when a foul ball struck him in the left eye. Soon after the injury, Dr. George Paletta, the Cardinals' medical director, called it the "worst trauma I've seen. Absolutely."
Paletta said at the time he wasn't certain if Encarnacion would ever regain full vision. Cardinals general manager John Mozeliak said Wednesday that Encarnacion continues to seek treatment for the injury. Mozeliak said he hasn't spoken to the outfielder since before Christmas. Encarnacion turns 32 in March.
"As far as an update on whether he'll play or not I would say it's probably likely he will not," Mozeliak said. "But until we actually see him in St. Louis and get our own doctors to deal with that, it will be hard for me to answer that firmly."
Serious eye injury could end Encarnacion's career
man i really hope juan gets healthy, i seriously don't know what to say.
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