Yankees P Bryan Mitchell has nasal fracture after taking line drive to face

NEW YORK -- Yankees rookie right-hander Bryan Mitchell took a line drive off his face Monday, which caused a small nasal fracture, the team announced. The injury forced him to be removed from the team's 8-7 winover the Minnesota Twinswith two outs in the second inning.

With one arm around trainer Steve Donohue and the other hand holding a towel to his bloodied face, Mitchell received a standing ovation as he walked into the dugout.

He was placed on the seven-day concussion disabled list Tuesday.

Mitchell was released from New York-Presbyterian Hospital after a full evaluation, but the Yankees doctors will continue to monitor him for a possible concussion.

"It was really, really scary," Yankees manager Joe Girardi said. "It seems like your heart just drops into your stomach, and you are scared for the kid. You see blood coming out. ... I was really worried."

The shot off the bat of former Yankees infielderEduardo Nunezconnected with Mitchell's face before he could put his glove up to make a play. The hit knocked Mitchell off his feet.He stayed down on the mound, kneeling, with his right hand over the gash. His teammates circled him.

The Twins, who had two men on, scored a run on the play. Mitchell was replaced by Caleb Cotham.

"Luckily, what could've happened didn't," New York catcherBrian McCannsaid.

Mitchell, 24, started Monday because the Yankees wanted to give their regular starters an extra day's rest.

Mitchell was 0-1 with a 3.72 ERA. He is considered the Yankees' second-best pitching prospect, behind right-hander Luis Severino.

Four MLB pitchers have now been hit in the head by line drives this year. All four were struck below the cap line.

"I get goose bumps talking about it," Twins manager Paul Molitor said. "You're playing the game, and then you see someone go through something like that."

Some pitchers -- but only one who has been hit in the head,Dan Jennings, now of the White Sox -- have taken to wearing caps equipped with additional protective material. However, such a cap would not have aided Mitchell on Monday.

"I know they've talked about trying to find that protective cap for pitchers," Molitor said. "They haven't come up with anything that looks very practical as of yet. The face is pretty much something that's going to be unprotected, no matter what you do."

Information from Outside the Lines' William Weinbaum and The Associated Press contributed to this report.