Atlanta Braves reliever Jesse Chavez had to be carried off the field after being hit just below the knee on a comebacker off the bat of Miguel Cabrera on Wednesday afternoon.
The incident occurred in the sixth inning of the Braves game at the Detroit Tigers. Chavez took a one-hopper clocked at 99 mph off of Cabrera's bat and immediately fell to the ground in agony.
Chavez came on to relieve Atlanta Braves starter Spencer Strider in the sixth inning and was facing his first batter of the afternoon in Cabrera. The Tigers' future Hall of Famer hit the comebacker on Chavez's fourth pitch of his appearance.
Chavez remained on the ground as he was tended to by trainers, who eventually helped the 39-year-old to his feet and carried him off the field. Kirby Yates replaced Chavez on the mound.
Chavez has been one of the top relievers in the Atlanta Braves' bullpen this season. The 16-year MLB veteran had a 1.55 ERA through 30 appearances heading into Wednesday, striking out 36 batters with just nine walks allowed in 29 innings of work.
This is the second season of a second go-around with the Braves for Chavez. He was 3-3 with a 2.72 ERA in 46 games with Atlanta in 2022. The Braves are ninth MLB team that Chavez has pitched for in a big league career that began in 2008 with the Pittsburgh Pirates.
Chavez became a fan favorite in Atlanta as part of the Braves' 2021 World Series championship squad. That season, he went 3-2 with a 2.14 ERA in 30 games.
Atlanta Braves still holding on to NL East lead
The Braves are still holding onto a decent, but not comfortable, lead in the National League East. The Miami Marlins are in the No. 2 divisional spot, with a hard-charging Philadelphia Phillies squad in third. The New York Mets, losers of nine of the team's past 10 games, are in fourth.