San Diego Padres pitching prospect Cole Paplham suffered multiple facial fractures after taking a hard liner to the face, manager Mike Shildt told reporters.

Paplham was on the mound in the eighth inning for Sunday’s spring training game against the NL West rival Los Angeles Dodgers. Paplham delivered a pitch to Aaron Bracho, and the Dodgers first baseman crushed a 102 MPH liner right in the direction of the 24-year-old.

Cole Paplham reacts during game.
Cole Paplham (Photo by: Spectrum SportsNet)

Cole Paplham tried getting his glove up but was struck hard in the face. He grabbed at his face and briefly bent over in pain as team officials went over to treat him. Paplham left the contest and did not return.

Speaking to reporters on Monday, Shildt said that Paplham has multiple facial fractures. The manager added that the young pitcher was discharged from the ER on Sunday night and is currently in concussion protocol, per MLB.com’s A.J. Cassavell:

“Our thoughts and prayers continue to be with him. The good news is he’s stable. He spent some time in the ER, as you would expect…They’re working through all the concussion protocol stuff. But he is alert, and they’re trying to figure out, with some further testing, what the next steps are.”

Fernando Tatis Jr. (Photo by Matthew Stockman/Getty Images)

Cole Paplham’s scary moment came three days after Dodgers pitcher Bobby Miller took a 106 MPH line drive to the head in a spring training game against the Chicago Cubs. Miller thankfully avoided a serious injury but remains in concussion protocol, per Cassavell.

A native of Green Bay, Wisconsin, Paplham spent the 2024 season with the Senadores de San Juan of the Puerto Rican Winter League. He went 3-1 with a 4.50 ERA in nine game appearances.

Padres Look To Rebound From Tough NLDS Loss To Dodgers

The Padres were one victory away from stunning the Shohei Ohtani-led Los Angeles Chargers in the NLDS. But San Diego coughed up a 2-1 series lead, getting outscored 10-0 in the final two games as the Dodgers cruised to a 2024 World Series title.

San Diego brings the same powerful lineup led by Fernando Tatis Jr., Manny Machado and Jackson Merrill as they try to deliver the city its first World Series championship in 2025.